A Whiter Shade of Pale
by sammygirl1963
Summary: Teenchesters! Sam is severely injured while Dean is out on a date. Will Dean be able to forgive himself for not being there for his baby brother? Hurt Sammy, angsty Dean and John.
1. Chapter 1

**A Whiter Shade of Pale**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Supernatural and of it's characters, nor and I making a profit from this story. I am only playing with the Winchesters and will gladly put them back when I am through.

**Author's Note: **This story is a birthday present for Criminally Charmed, a wonderful friend who puts up with all of my silliness and is there for me in times of stress. You know I love ya girl…and **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

**Author's Note 2: **This is my first attempt at writing a fast paced story so I hope you enjoy it.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Shaking his head as he watched his seventeen year old brother primping in the motel mirror, Sam couldn't believe that Dean was going to so much trouble for a girl. His brother had even gone to the trouble of shaving though he barely had any hair stubble on his chin.

"So, what time you coming back tonight?" Sam inquired, wondering if he and Dean would get to spend any time together before he was ordered to bed. He liked sitting and talking to Dean because Dean always made him feel like he was the most important person in the world.

"It depends on whether or not I get lucky tonight, Sammyboy," Dean answered with a wink as he reached out affectionately and ruffled his little brother's hair.

"Ew, that's just gross Dean," Sam muttered as he visibly shuddered at the thought.

"Believe me kiddo, you won't think so when you're a few years older," Dean retorted as he applied his aftershave. He had to look _and_ smell good for his girl.

"No way! I'm never gonna do _that_ with a girl," Sam rejoined, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Glad to hear that, Tiger," John announced as he walked into the motel room carrying dinner for him and Sammy. "I don't want to hear that you're even thinking about sex until you're at least thirty!"

"Don't worry Dad, I'm not even having sex then," Sam stated confidently as he slipped out of the bathroom to see what his father had brought for dinner. No way was he letting a girl see him naked.

"Somehow, I kind of doubt that Kiddo," John muttered under his breath as he allowed Sam to take the bag which contained two Kentucky Fried Chicken dinners from his hands. He just hoped Sam would at least wait until he was eighteen, unlike his big brother. He still grimaced at the memory of having caught Dean making out in the backseat of the Impala at the tender age of fifteen, and with the daughter of a small town sheriff no less. Needless to say, they hightailed it out of that town as quickly as possible.

Watching for just a moment as Sam placed their dinners on the table, John then turned his attention to his eldest. "I want you no later than midnight or one in the morning Dean."

"But Dad, I…"

"No buts about it Ace. We've got a hunt in the morning and I want you well rested for it." John stated, interrupting whatever Dean was about to say.

"Yes Sir," Dean grumbled, knowing there was no use in arguing. When his father had his mind set, neither hell nor high water would cause him to change it.

"Here's a little extra money just in case you need it," John informed his son as he handed over a twenty dollar bill. "And make sure you use a condom. I don't want any little Winchesters running around until I'm old enough to be a grandfather.

"You mean you aren't already?" Dean smirked, ducking to avoid the headslap John had sent his way upon hearing the barb.

"Smartass," John remarked as he handed the keys over to the Impala. "Take good care of her, son."

"You mean Mandy Sue or the car?" Dean queried with a laugh just before strutting out the door with a confident swagger, secure in the fact that he would be having some fun tonight.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Okay Sammy, time for bed," John informed his thirteen year old a couple of hours later as he clicked off the television program that his youngest had been watching.

"Aw dad, it's only ten o'clock. Can't I stay up and wait for Dean?" Sam asked hopefully as he turned dewy pleading eyes towards his father.

"Sorry Sport, but you need your rest also," John stated, reaching out to muss the teen's too long chestnut colored hair. "Go brush your teeth."

"Yes Sir, Sam replied, keeping the petulance he was feeling out of his voice so he wouldn't get into trouble. Pushing himself up from the bed, he trudged into the bathroom and took care of his nightly duties. Returning to the room, he began to slip under the covers as his father began to lay down a salt line of protection.

He had no sooner crawled into the bed, when loud and boisterous voices could suddenly be heard coming from the parking lot outside their window.

"What the hell?" John questioned angrily, walking over to the motel window and flinging the curtains back. Surveying the area outside the window, he could see a man who looked to be drunk or high on drugs and his girlfriend, or was she a hooker, arguing in the parking lot.

"What is it Dad? What's going on out there?' Sam questioned as he sat up in the bed, eager to know what was going on.

"Just some idiot and his girlfriend arguing. Stay here, I'll be right back," John ordered his youngest as the fight between the two numbskulls outside started to escalate. No way would his boy be able to sleep with all that racket going on.

"Yes Sir," Sam answered, waiting until his father had exited the room to climb out of the bed. Rushing over towards the window, he watched in fascination as his father walked over towards the two with a commanding stride. His dad would be kicking some ass tonight.

"Excuse me, I'd appreciate if you two would take your argument somewhere else," John groused as he neared the two idiots causing the scene. "My son is in the room trying to sleep."

"Yeah, well that's not our problem mister," the insolent lady snapped as she glared at John. "Go back into the room and mind your own damn business."

"My son is my business and I suggest you two leave before I call the cops," John threatened, trying to keep things civil. Of course, they had no way of knowing he would do no such thing, but he hoped it would be enough of a threat for them to carry their argument on elsewhere.

"You heard the lady, get the hell out of here," the twenty something year old man stated, whipping a knife from his jacket pocket and aiming it at John in a threatening manner.

"Oh Shit," Sam gasped in worry upon seeing the blade since he was well aware of the fact that his father had walked outside unarmed due to the fact that he had cleaned their weapons earlier. Add to that the hunter's code of ethics about not killing humans if at all possible, well, Sam couldn't help but worry for his dad's safety. Rushing to pull on a pair of jeans, he knew he would face his father's wrath for the fact that he was about to disobey a direct order, but he was damned well going outside to provide backup just in case his old man needed it.

"Hey man, I don't want any trouble. Just put that knife away and let's talk about this," John voiced calmly, holding his hands up in a placating matter. The last thing he needed was to get in a fight and possibly kill the idiot with all the people who were now watching the scene from behind the safety of their motel windows. He couldn't afford to be arrested because the cops were sure to call CPS in once they found out about Sammy. No way was he chancing losing his youngest child.

"That's too bad because trouble is my middle name," The man sneered as he took a menacing step forward.

Instantly moving into a fighting stance, John planted his right foot, only to find himself stumbling forward as a rock slid underneath his foot and caused him to lose his balance.

"No Dad," Sammy yelled, rushing forward and pushing John out of the way just as the man thrust out with his knife in surprise, thinking that John was attacking him.

Hissing in pain as the knife sank deep into his abdomen, Sam's hands clenched around the offending object and he fell to his knees as all strength quickly eluded him. "Dean, h-help me," he whimpered, calling out for his missing brother, just before his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the pavement unconscious.

"Oh no, what ha-have I do-done?" the man gasped in horror upon realizing he had just stabbed a young kid. "I-I didn't me-mean to hurt him," he stuttered as he watched the boys father pale considerably upon seeing his child fall to the ground.

"Oh God, Sammy," John panted anxiously, his breath catching in his throat at seeing his youngest child laying on the concrete with a knife protruding from his abdomen, blood pulling around it in a nauseating pattern.

Quickly realizing that he couldn't handle this alone, that Sammy was injured beyond his skills of fixing and that he needed to get help, John screamed out in angst, "Somebody call 9-1-1," as he began to apply pressure to staunch the flow of bleeding.

"Mister, I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean to…."

"Get out of here before I kill you with my bare hands," John seethed as he looked at the man with unmitigated hatred in his eyes, not allowing the man to finish his statement. "I swear on my wife's grave if I ever see your face again, it will be the last breath you take."

With those words, John returned his attention to Sam, praying that someone had called for an ambulance and that it would arrive before his youngest bled out on the ground in front of him.

**TBC **_**So what's the verdict? Do you want to read more? Let me know with a review.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 2**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Previously: **_With those words, John returned his attention to Sam, praying that someone had called for an ambulance and that it would arrive before his youngest bled out on the ground in front of him._

Kneeling on the cold concrete beside his son as he applied pressure to the puncture wound in Sam's abdomen, John felt the tears streaming down his own face as he took in the extremely pale face of his nearly unconscious son. Sammy's skin was so pale that it almost looked translucent to him. "Please Kiddo, you've got to hang on. I can't lose you. You and Dean are the only reasons I have for going on."

"Sir, I've called for help and an ambulance should be here very soon," Janie Alison, the desk clerk of the latest motel the Winchesters were staying in, stated calmly as she approached John and kneeled down beside him holding a blanket in her hands. "Is it alright if I cover him to help warm him up some?'

"Huh?" John inquired absent mindedly as he looked up at the svelte blond, his mind to muddled with fear for his youngest to comprehend the words she had said to him.

"Is if alright if I cover him up. I'm afraid shock is setting in and we need to keep him as warm as possible," Alison explained as she shook out the blanket and covered the child as best she could since his father's hands were keeping pressure on the leaking wound.

"Th-thank you," John voiced shakily as he gave the woman a tight smile. "He's my son, my baby, and I can't…I don't…"

"It'll be alright, you'll see," Alison offered as she elevated Sam's legs and placed a blanket under his feet. She knew from her nursing classes that with Sam slipping into a state of shock, his body was unable to control its' own temperature and he needed to be kept as warm as possible.

"Da-Daddy, stop, it hu-hurts," Sam whimpered as he weakly tried to push his father's hands away as John applied pressure to the wound in his abdominal area.

"I know it does Tiger, but I have to keep pressure on the wound," John explained, guilt consuming him because of the inability to take away his child's pain.

"Wh-where's De'n? Daddy, I ne-need De," Sam voiced weakly just before his eyes rolled back and he gave into the blackness that beckoned him as a way to escape the pain.

"Sammy? Sammy, don't you do this," John pleaded as the sound of a siren wailing could be heard approaching from a near distance. "You wake up now. You hear me?" So focused was he on trying to wake his youngest up, that John failed to notice the ambulance had finally arrived until someone touched him on the shoulder.

"Sir, we need you to step back and let us take care of him now," Tom McGunty, the head EMT informed the angst filled father as his partner knelt down on the other side of Sam and went to work.

"But, I have to help, he's my son," John begged as he tried to pull away from the paramedic.

"I understand that Sir, but you'll only be in the way. We need you to let us save your son."

"Tom, this kid is in hypovolemic shock. We need to roll ASAP," Jerry Martin informed his partner as he applied a pressure bandage around the knife wound. He knew that removing the knife could cause more damage than was already done or cause the child before him to bleed worse.

"I'll get the gurney," Tom stated as he watched Jerry wrap a blood pressure cuff around the young boy's arm. Time was definitely of the essence if they were going to save the kid's life.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting in the back of the ambulance as it raced towards the hospital, John did his best to stay out of the way as the EMT worked on his youngest child. He wanted more than anything to hold Sammy's hand, to let his youngest know that he was there for him, but then he had been warned he would only impede the paramedic who was doing everything he could to save Sammy's life.

Rocking back and forth in an agitated motion as he listened to the EMT in the back of the rig with him calling out for the driver to "step on it," John couldn't help but stare at the blood that covered his hands, blood that he had been unable to stop from leaking out of his baby boy's body.

Sighing as he placed another set of pressure bandages over the ones that were now soaked through with blood, Jerry couldn't help but worry about the kid before him. They were already twenty minutes or so into the _Golden Hour_-the hour from when the trauma occurs to the moment the OR doors close behind the patient-and that was just a little too close for his comfort. This kid was just too damn young to suffer through the trauma of his body shutting down due to lack of oxygenated blood. It was an extremely painful way to die.

Reaching up to the tubing snaking from the kid's arm, Jerry adjusted the drip rate of the I.V. in hopes of keeping the young one from becoming too dehydrated. Sure, it wouldn't help to replace the oxygen rich red blood cells the young teen was losing, but it would hopefully stave off a deeper level of shock than what he was already experiencing.

Watching as the EMT took Sam's vitals and then listened to his heart, John swiped a calloused hand across his mouth and asked, "H-How is he? How's my boy?"

"About as well as can be expected with the abdominal trauma he's suffered," Jerry answered with a patented reply.

"That doesn't answer my question," John hissed as he finally reached out to grasp Sam's hand which was clammy to the touch. "Tell me the truth."

"Right now your son is in what we call Class Two shock. What that means is his body is shunting blood to his vital organs to try and keep them healthy and functioning," Jerry stated succinctly.

"And…and what if the level progresses, then what?" John queried, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"If the shock level moves to Class Three, then the body's compensatory mechanisms start to fail. His vital organs start to shut down by Class Four and well, you can guess what happens from there," Jerry answered honestly, signing with relief once he realized they had finally arrived at the hospital.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Snuggling up to Dean as they sat at the local drive-in watching a movie, Mandy Sue knew she wanted more than to just lean into his hard, muscular body. She wanted bragging rights with her girl friends. She wanted them all to know that she had _'made out' _with the coolest kid in school. Her friends would all be so jealous.

"Hey Dean, this movie is kind of boring. Don't you think we could find something a little more interesting to do," Mandy Sue Williams provocatively suggested into Dean's right ear as she rubbed her hand up and down his firm chest.

"Sure thing sweetheart, what do you have in mind?" Dean cooed as he wrapped an arm around Mandy Sue's shoulder and pulled her in for a deep passionate kiss.

"Well, I thought maybe we could, you know…" Mandy replied suggestively as she tugged the hem of Dean's shirt out of his jeans and slid her hand under it to feel his skin which was warm to the touch.

"If that's what you want Baby, then I am all for it," Dean rejoined as he placed his right palm on Mandy Sue's thigh, just below her skirt hem as he leaned in to kiss her once more. Inching his hand up her thigh, he suddenly stopped his actions as he thought he heard someone calling out for him.

"Dean, why did you stop?" Mandy Sue pouted as she wrapped her arms around Dean's neck to keep him close. "I told you I want this."

"I thought I heard someone calling for me," Dean answered, pulling Mandy Sue's hands from around the nape of his neck so he could glance out the window. He could have sworn he heard Sammy's voice.

"That's just my heart you heard," Mandy Sue voiced as she leaned up to initiate another passionate kiss with Dean before reaching down to finger the button of his jeans. "It's calling for some Dean loving."

"Well then, I guess we better give it what it wants," Dean purred, losing himself in the moment, totally oblivious as to what was happening at that very moment with his baby brother.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"What have we got?" Dr. Brad Spencer asked, running alongside the gurney as Sam was rushed through the ER doors of the hospital.

"Young male in his teens. He has a knife wound to the abdomen with probable gastrointestinal perforation," Jerry answered as they rushed down the corridor that smelled of strong antiseptic, with John following closely behind.

"What are his vital signs?" the doctor inquired as they wheeled the gurney towards the treatment rooms behind the swinging doors.

"His BP is 100 over 60 and his pulse is weak and thready," Jerry replied as the doors swung open allowing them entrance to the trauma rooms, a security guard standing nearby.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't go in there," the burly security guard informed John as he held up his hands to keep the angst ridden father from entering.

"But, but he's my son," John refuted as he tried to make his way around the guard.

"I understand that sir, but you'll have to wait in the waiting room. Someone will come talk to you once the doctor has him stabilized.

"Damn it,' John swore lightly under his breath as he gave in, not willing to cause a scene. Glancing towards the treatment room Sam was rolled into just before the doors closed, the last thing John heard was the doctor calling out, "Get me an O.R. stat people, or we're going to lose this kid."

**TBC **_**Sorry for the wait on this one. We had a family emergency, while my sister was visiting no less.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 3**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **Please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever and my medical information comes from searching Google.

**Previously: **_"I understand that sir, but you'll have to wait in the waiting room. Someone will come talk to you once the doctor has him stabilized._

"_Damn it,' John swore lightly under his breath as he gave in, not willing to cause a scene. Glancing towards the treatment room Sam was rolled into just before the doors closed, the last thing John heard was the doctor calling out, "Get me an O.R. stat people, or we're going to lose this kid."_

Stumbling over to one of the hard plastic chairs in the waiting room, John slumped down into the chair and placed his head in his hands. _"How the hell did this happen?"_ he thought to himself as he heaved in a weary sigh. It was just a stupid argument. His baby boy shouldn't be in that damn trauma room fighting for his life right now. If only he hadn't gone outside, then maybe…his thoughts drifted off as he felt a soft hand placed on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but you need to fill out these papers so the doctors can treat your son more expeditiously," the petite young desk nurse informed John as she handed over a clipboard with forms attached to it. She hated having to place the burden on the anxious father, but it had to be done since the doctors needed to know their young patient's medical history and whether or not he had any known allergies.

Accepting the forms, John placed the clipboard on his lap and then tugged calloused fingers through his hair before picking up the pen to fill in the required information. Glancing at the first line, John tried to remember which alias he had used when signing in at the motel so the name on the forms would correspond once the police showed up. Damn, but he hated filling out hospital forms.

Accepting the forms from the angst-filled father once they were completed, the desk nurse glanced over them quickly to make sure everything was filled in. "Thank you Mister Slade. If you'll have a seat once more, the doctor will be with you as soon as possible."

"Ye-yeah, okay," John stammered as he once again tugged fingers through his dark mane. God, this was what he hated about hospitals the most, the waiting. He had no sooner arrived at his seat when he heard the ER doors open and looked over to see two policemen entering. _"Here we go," _he thought as he watched the nurse point the officers in his direction. At least this time, he could be truthful about Sam's injuries and how they happened because of all the witnesses.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Pulling his clothing back on after having spent the best thirty of his life, Dean couldn't keep the huge grin off his face. He knew Mandy Sue would be good from the first time he met her, but damn, she went way beyond his wildest expectations. He just might have to take her out again before they left town in search of another hunt. Relaxing back against the seat at the movie credits rolled, Dean waited for Mandy Sue to finish buttoning her blouse and then pulled her to his side in a one armed hug and reveled in having her snuggle into his hold with a purring sound.

"Ya know, we ought to make this a regular thing Dean," Mandy cooed as she blew softly into hiss ear. "The two of us could be really good together."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," Dean replied as he grasped Mandy's chin and raised her head so he could kiss her soft, succulent lips once again.

"Just think, we could have a house with a white picket fence, two kids and a dog, the whole nine yards," Mandy voiced as she allowed her mind to dream of a future with the best looking man she had ever seen in her life.

"Mmhmm, that would be nice…wait a minute, what did you say?" Dean gasped as the meaning of Mandy's words finally hit him. No way was he the marrying kind.

"I said we could…" Mandy's words were cut off as Dean suddenly glanced at his watch and cursed aloud.

"Sonuvabitch, I'm late. My dad is going to kill me. I was supposed to be home over an hour ago." Dean stated as he reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out the keys. Sure, he said the words just to get far away from Mandy Sue and her dreams of starting a family, but that didn't mean they weren't true none the less. He would be doing punishment push ups for the rest of his life. Firing up the engine, he pulled out of the parking lot and towards town much to Mandy Sue's chagrin.

After having dropped off his date fifteen minutes earlier, Dean arrived back at the motel to find everything relatively quiet and the lights off. "Hmmm, maybe Dad and Sammy have already went to bed," he surmised as he walked up quietly to the door and slipped the key inside the lock. With a little luck and a lot of tiptoeing, his Dad would never know he had stayed out past curfew.

Gently easing open the door, he glanced over to the two beds in the room to see them both empty. "What the hell?" he queried to himself as he glanced at the foot of the bed to see their duffle bags. Their stuff was still there, but no sign of Dad and Sammy. A further search of the bathroom and vending areas provided no clues as to where his family might be either.

Feeling the pangs of dread taking hold deep within his soul, Dean pulled his cell phone from his pocket and was about to press the speed dial that would connect him with his father when said phone began to ring, startling him to his very core. Glancing at the lit dial, he became even more anxious when he saw it was his father.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Okay, I think we've got all the information we need," Officer Jason Marks stated as he closed his notepad and placed it in his pocket. "We'll do everything we can to find the man who hurt your son, Mr. Slade."

"Thank you," John voiced sincerely, though inside he was silently hoping that they didn't catch the man so he and Dean could … oh god, Dean. He had totally forgotten to call his oldest and tell him what happened.

"Sir, are you alright?" Office Dan Reynolds asked as he saw John's face suddenly turn a chalky while color in appearance.

"Ye-yeah, I just realized I haven't called my oldest son to tell him what's happened," John replied, tugging his fingers through his hair once again. Damn, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"Would you like us to make the call for you?" Jason asked as he reached out to place a supportive hand on the weary man's shoulder.

"N-No, he needs to hear it from me," John retorted with a sigh. He knew how upset Dean was going to be as it was. There was no way he would allow the news to come from a total stranger.

"Well, if there's anything we can do to help, just let us know," Officer Reynolds offered. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the angst filled man before him was going through.

"Just get the man who did this to Sammy," John stated before turning away and walking towards a private corner of the waiting room where he could make his call.

Watching as the somber father walked dejectedly away, Jason and Dan couldn't help but feel sorry for him, yet happy that they weren't placed into the situation John was now in, not knowing if one of their own children would survive the night.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Da'ad? Is something wrong? Where are you and Sammy?" Dean rambled, his thoughts running away with him as to why his family would have left without him in the middle of the night.

"Dean, it's Sammy. We, we're at the hospital, you need to get here quick," John informed his eldest once he was able to break into Dean's rambling.

"Oh god, wh-what ha-happened?" Dean stammered in alarm as he sunk to his knees, the words immediately striking terror into his heart.

"I'll tell you when you get here. Just hurry," John replied in answer, the hunter unwilling to tell Dean what happened over the phone.

"Dad, please. Please just tell me my baby brother's going to be alright" Dean pleaded as he clutched the phone to his ear, silent tears streaming down his face.

"Dean, I just…I don't know son. I haven't talked to the doctor yet. There was so much…just get here, Ace." John ordered. He really needed Dean with him right now.

"'Kay, I'll be there in a few," Dean uttered, pushing himself to his feet with steely resolve as he hung up the phone. Making his way to the car, he couldn't help but scold himself for not being there when Sammy needed him the most. "S'all my fault. I should have been here instead of making out with some girl."

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Okay people, let's get this kid's clothing cut off, I need to see what we're dealing with," Dr. Brad Spencer called out as pulled his stethoscope from around his ears so he could listen to Sam's heart and abdominal sounds.

Grabbing a pair of shearing scissors from the medical cart, Nurse Julie Adams began to cut the tattered remnants of Sam's shirt from his body while another nurse removed the young teen's shoes and blue jeans.

Wrapping a pressure cuff around the patient's bare arm, Julie quickly inflated it and took Sam's blood pressure. "BP is 90 over 50 and falling, she called out while pulling a tympanic ear thermometer from the pocket of her smock and placing it in Sam's ear to get a reading of a little over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"This kid is losing too much blood. Get him typed and cross matched stat. I want a unit hanging within the next five minutes and a couple of units on standby," Brad called out as he began to palpitate the unconscious teen's stomach after having pulled on a pair of sterile gloves and then removing the blade of the knife from his patient's stomach.

"Damn it, this kid definitely has an abdominal or intestinal perforation,' he swore upon feeling the board like rigidity of Sam's stomach. "Somebody call the O.R. and make sure they're ready for us while I go out and talk to the father. This kid is going to require immediate surgery if we're going to have a chance of saving him."

Stripping the bloody gloves from his hands, Brad took a deep breath to calm himself before exiting the room to go talk to the young boy's family. This was the only part he hated about being a doctor, having to deliver bad news to people who were already suffering.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 4**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **Please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever and my medical information comes from searching Google.

**Previously: **_"Damn it, this kid definitely has an abdominal or intestinal perforation,' he swore upon feeling the board like rigidity of Sam's stomach. "Somebody call the O.R. and make sure they're ready for us while I go out and talk to the father. This kid is going to require immediate surgery if we're going to have a chance of saving him."_

Stripping the bloody gloves from his hands, Brad took a deep breath to calm himself before exiting the room to go talk to the young boy's family. This was the only part he hated about being a doctor, having to deliver bad news to people who were already suffering.

Pushing through the trauma room doors to the E.R. waiting room, Brad couldn't help but feel sorry for the lone occupant who was now sitting dejectedly in the cold, impersonal room as he waited for news of his injured son. He could tell by the slump of the man's shoulder's that he had the weight of the world resting on them. Of course, being a father of a young teenager himself, he was sure he would feel the exact same way if he had been put into the same position as John Slade now found himself in.

Striding over towards the anxious father, he nearly found himself bowled over when the electronic sliding glass doors leading to E.R Ambulance bay flew open and a harried looking, much younger man came rushing in. Huffing at the indignation, he was about to reprimand the young man for his actions when he saw said young man drop to his knees in front of his patient's father, much to the relief of the angst filled man, which was evident by the way he pulled the boy to his chest. Taking a closer look at the blonde, he could see silent tears streaming down his face from the side view advantage that he had and his heart immediately broke for the kid, especially considering the news he was about to impart.

Chewing on his bottom lip, he contemplated giving the elder man a small amount of time to comfort the younger, as he was in obvious need of it, but then he knew his patient's condition was already critical enough without waiting any longer and he just couldn't afford to lose any more of that precious time. Steeling his resolve, he continued walking and was not in the least bit surprised when the older man whispered something to the younger and they both stood up to face him, anxiousness clearly written on their faces.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Pulling into the parking lot of the small hospital, Dean parked the car haphazardly in the closest parking spot to the hospital he could find and then quickly flung open the door in a desperate need to get to his baby brother. Climbing out of the classic car, he slammed the door shut without a second thought of mistreating his 'girl' and took off at a run towards the ER waiting room. As he ran, he could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest at the thought that he might be too late, that he could have already lost the only light in his life. Feeling the tears begin to stream down his face, he tried to shake off the negative thoughts. He couldn't lose his baby brother, he just couldn't.

Arriving at the ER doors, he waited impatiently for them to slide open and then rushed inside, nearly colliding with someone before he averted his path at the last moment. Arriving at his father's side, he dropped to his knees and panted in a sobbing breath.

"How is he Dad, how's my baby brother?"

"Dean, thank God you're here," John voiced in obvious relief as he pulled his oldest son to his chest in a comforting hug for just a few seconds before releasing the boy. "As for your brother, they haven't told me anything yet."

"What happened? Did he get really sick or something?" Dean inquired, swiping away the tears that were finally abating now that he was with his Dad.

"No, Sammy was sta…" John's voice drifted off as he witnessed the doctor approaching. "Here comes the doc."

Offering a hand, John helped Dean to his feet and the two Winchesters turned to face the medical specialist, each of them uneasy at what they were about to find out.

"Family of Samuel Slade?" Dr. Brad Spencer questioned, just to be positive that this was indeed the family of his young patient.

"Yes, I'm his father John and this is my son Dean," John answered as he placed a supportive hand on Dean's shoulder only to feel the quivering beneath it.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Brad Spencer. I'm the doctor who is treating your son Samuel."

"Sam, his name is Sam," Dean stated nervously. "Sammy hates being referred to by his full name."

"I'll remember that," Brad stated with a smile trying to alleviate some of the young man's nervousness. Of course, he knew it would all be for naught once he informed the family just how seriously hurt their younger member was.

"Doc, how is he, how's my boy?" John questioned, unable to contain his worry any longer.

"Mr. Slade…John, I am sorry to inform you that your son Sam's condition at this time is considered very critical. He has lost an enormous amount of blood due to an intestinal perforation and is in need of immediately surgery," Brad stated, instantly becoming concerned upon noticing how pale Dean became at hearing his words.

"Oh god," Dean murmured, his knees going weak upon hearing the words escape from the doctor's mouth.

"Here, why don't we sit down," the doctor encouraged as he grasped Dean by the arm and led him over to the nearest chair in the small waiting room, fearing that the young man would soon collapse if he didn't sit.

"You-you can sa-save him though, ri-right?" Dean stammered as he glanced at the doctor with tears once again misting his green eyes.

"Honestly, I don't know. But if we can get him into surgery soon enough to repair the hole in his stomach to keep the intestinal contents from leaking too much into his stomach cavity, he will at least have a fighting chance," Brad answered, wrapping his index and middle finger around Dean's wrist to monitor his pulse.

"Then you have my permission. Do what you have to do," John stated quickly, wanting to give Sammy the best chance he could have at surviving.

"Mr. Slade, I do need to warn you that Sam could suffer complications from the intestinal perforations; complications that could leave him too weak to fight after the surgery," the doctor stated wanting the small family to know everything they were facing before making the final decision on surgery.

"What kinds of complications are we talking about?" John asked, placing his hand at the nape of Dean's neck and giving it a slight squeeze. He could tell that Dean was becoming overwhelmed by the doctor's words.

"There is a chance that he could suffer a worse abdominal bleed while we are in there. There is also a chance that the leakage that has already occurred in Sam's abdominal cavity could lead to an infection known as an intra-abdominal abscess, or in the worst case scenario…sepsis," Brad answered truthfully.

"Damn," John swore, knowing how bad that could be on Sammy's outlook since sepsis had a high death rate. "And if Sammy doesn't have the surgery?"

"He won't survive the injury," Dr. Spencer added bluntly knowing it was their only choice.

"Then there's no choice. You have to operate," John voiced gruffly around the lump that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his throat. "Can we see him before you operate?"

"Yes, but only for just a few moments," Brad answered, knowing it could be the last time the family had to spend with their youngest member. "If you'll follow me."

**~~Supernatural~~**

Walking into the treatment room a few scant moments later, Dean's breath was nearly taken away as he saw his unconscious baby brother laying there on the bed, his skin almost as pale as the white sheet that was now protecting his brother's modesty. Striding over to the bed, he grasped Sam's limp hand, the one without the intravenous needle in it, in one of his own and gave it a squeeze.

"Hey Kiddo. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you earlier but I'm here now," Dean voiced softly, holding back the sobs trying to break free as he sat on the edge of the bed and used his other hand to card his fingers lightly through Sam's chestnut colored hair. "I know you're tired, but I need you to fight for me, okay Tiger? I can't go through this life without you Sammy. I love you."

"That goes for me too, son. Me and Dean, we'll be waiting right here for you, so you show those doctors just how tough you are and that we Winchester's don't quit." John voiced before bending down to kiss his youngest tenderly on the forehead.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we really do need to get Sam up to the O.R.," Dr. Brad Spencer informed the small family after having walked into the room to witness the tender moment between father and son. Waving the orderlies over, he watched as they unlocked the wheels to the portable gurney and then walked beside his patient as they carefully guided him out of the small treatment room.

Watching as his brother disappeared, Dean then turned distressed eyes to his father. "What the hell happened?"

Filling his son in on the events that transpired earlier at the motel, John could see the guilt taking hold in Dean's eyes at not having been there for his brother so he wasn't the least bit surprised by Dean's words once he had finished his spiel.

"I'm going to find that sonuvabitch and make him pay for what he did to Sammy. By the time I'm finish, he'll wish he had never been born.

**TBC **_**Once again, I am sorry for the long wait. I've just lacked the energy to write with everything that's happened over the past few weeks. I have this next week off though so I am hoping to be able to update all of my stories. **_


	5. Chapter 5

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 5**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **Please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever and my medical information comes from searching Google.

**Previously: **_Filling his son in on the events that transpired earlier at the motel, John could see the guilt taking hold in Dean's eyes at not having been there for his brother so he wasn't the least bit surprised by Dean's words once he had finished his spiel._

"I'm going to find that sonuvabitch and make him pay for what he did to Sammy. By the time I'm finished with him, he'll wish he had never been born, Dean swore strongly, vengeance gleaming in his angry green eyes

"Dean, calm down, son. Your brother needs you here instead of running off half cocked and getting yourself into trouble," John voiced lowly, glancing over at the door to Sam's room to make sure no one was close enough to hear Dean's oath.

Looking at his father in total disbelief, Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes at his father's comment even though he knew it would most likely piss off the man. "Dad, you damn well know me better than that. I would NEVER leave the hospital while Sammy is in surgery fighting for his life. That kid has been my whole world since the day he was born and that's not about to change now. Besides, I'm not the one who…" Dean drifted off, unwilling to voice his thoughts about how he wasn't the one who always took off for the hunt when Sammy needed him around. No that trophy of disappointment solely belonged to his father

Reeling in the anger he felt at Dean's attitude, John chose to let Dean's words slide _this _time. He knew Dean wasn't thinking clearly since he was totally distraught over the situation with Sam. No, this time he would ignore Dean's disrespect for the boy's sake, but he and the boy would definitely be having words if it happened again. Tugging calloused fingers through his disheveled hair, he gave Dean _'the look' _that warned his eldest he was currently treading on thin ice, just as the sound of another person entering the room could be heard.

"Excuse me," a young nurse stated hesitantly as she walked into the small treatment room to the feel of tension in the air. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait for news of the surgery out in the waiting room as we're going to need this room for our E.R. patients."

"Of course, we were just leaving," John stated as he started towards the door. "Will you please let Sammy's doctors know where we'll be when the surgery is finished?"

"Yes Sir, I'll make sure to let Dr. Spencer know just as soon as they are finished in the O.R.," the young nurse stated with an apologetic smile. She hated having to usher the men out into the ER waiting Room where there would be less privacy for them. "If you'll follow me."

Following the young lady out into the waiting room, John sat down in one of the hard plastic chairs with a melancholy sigh while his oldest began to pace impatiently across the hard tile floor. Glancing up at the clock to see that it was only 3:15 in the morning, he couldn't help but think it had already been one hell of a long night and was only going to get much longer.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Damn it, this is definitely not good," Dr. Brad Spencer swore vehemently upon noticing the flow of intestinal contents leaking into his young patient's abdominal cavity as he operated on the thirteen year old. The last thing his young patient needed to deal with the possibility of developing a bacteria infection known as chemical peritonitis on top of everything else he was already going through. He needed to find the area of perforation soon and close it before more blood and intestinal contents leaked into the kid's stomach.

"Suction," he called out as the flow of blood began to obstruct his view. Leaning over for one of the nurses to wipe the sweat from his brow, he waited for the suction to be completed by the head O.R. nurse before once again exploring the intestinal lining of his young patient.

"There you are," he voiced in triumph upon finding the small hole in the lining of Sam's large intestine. Breathing a sigh of relief that he could take care of the perforation without having to remove a part of the teen's intestine, thereby negating the need for a temporary colostomy, he began to stitch up the small hole.

"Alison, once I get this perforation closed up, I am going to need the equipment to do a gastric lavage on the kid. Hopefully that will keep him from developing chemical peritonitis or sepsis from the leakage," the doctor informed his nurse as he worked diligently to sew up the hole in Sam's intestines.

"Yes Doctor, I'll get the equipment right away," Nurse Alison replied before walking over to gather the materials that the handsome doctor we need to perform the peritoneal wash.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Leaning back in his seat as he watched his eldest child pace the floor to the point of nearly having worn a path in it, John hoped and prayed they would hear something soon on Sam's condition. His nerves were frazzled to the point where he was seriously considering stomping over to the nurse's desk and grabbing the matronly woman by the scruff of her throat to give her a good shake. Of course, he knew it wasn't the woman's fault that they had yet to hear anything, but it just annoyed the hell out of him to walk up to the desk only to be given a curt reply each time he asked if there was any news.

Just when he thought he and Dean couldn't take one more moment of waiting, Sam's doctor finally entered the nearly deserted waiting room with an exhausted look upon his sweat glistened face. Pushing himself to his feet, John met the weary doctor half way across the floor, with Dean standing right there by his side.

"Doc, how's my son?"

"It was pretty hectic there for a little while, but your son is a fighter," Brad answered with a smile as he pulled the light blue surgical cap from his hair. "Barring any complications, young Sam should make a full recovery."

"That's fantastic," Dean voiced excitedly as he bounced nervously from foot to foot. "When can we see him?"

As soon as Sam is moved from the recovery room and into his room in the PICU, I'll have a nurse come and get you."

"PICU? But I thought you said…" Dean's voiced trailed off as his face significantly paled upon hearing the words.

"That Sam should make a full recovery, yes. But you have to understand, your brother went through a very serious trauma to the abdomen and it is going to take his body some time to fully heal," Brad explained as he motioned for Dean to take a seat. He was afraid the young might pass out on him.

"Doc, you said, barring any complications. Does that mean you think Sammy could suffer a setback?" John inquired as he stood beside Dean and placed a comforting hand on his son's tense shoulder to give it a light squeeze.

"I'm hoping not. I have started Sam on a round of intravenous antibiotics in hopes of staving off any infection that might result from the intestinal leakage that we discovered in his abdominal cavity during surgery," Brad answered truthfully. "With a little luck, your son should be up and moving around within a few days."

'_Yeah, well you don't know Winchester Luck,' _Dean thought to himself after hearing the doctor's words. _'If it weren't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any luck at all.'_

"Okay, so how long before we'll know if Sammy is out of the woods as far as the risk of infection goes?" John asked, needing to know what kind of time frame they were looking at.

"I wish I could answer that for you Mr. Slade, but there is no set time limit when it comes to injuries such as the one your son has suffered. It's basically up to your son and his will to recover," Brad answered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to return to the recovery room and check on Sam before seeing to some of my other patients."

"Of course," John voiced as he held out his hand to give the doctor's a firm shake. "Thank you for everything you've done to save my boy."

"You don't have to thank me, John, I'm glad I could help," Dr. Brad Spencer stated with a smile before taking his leave.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Walking through the door of Sammy's room in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit approximately an hour or so later, Dean couldn't help but gasp in angst at the sight of his baby brother looking so pale and fragile looking lying there in the hospital bed. He had expected Sammy to look weak and , but not to the point of being so frail that he looked near death with the way his eyes were sunken in with dark smudges beneath them, not to mention the almost translucent look of his skin. Even Sammy's lips were nearly white.

"I know things look bad, but your brother is doing about as well as can be expected right now," Judy, Sam's pediatric nurse informed Dean with a smile as she led the small family over to their loved one's bedside.

"Why is he so pale?" Dean questioned as he reached down to take Sam's hand in his, being careful not to disturb the I.V. line. "I mean, they were giving him some blood in the emergency room earlier, so shouldn't his clor be better."

"It's really not surprising that he is so pale considering what his system went through from the trauma of the stab wound and the resulting blood loss. Combine that with the added shock of having to go through surgery recently, well, it's just going to take your brother some time to recover," Judy explained as she began to assess her young patient's vitals.

"Can we stay with him? I know visiting hours haven't officially started yet, but…"

"Of course you can stay. Here in the intensive care pediatric unit, we like to keep family as close as possible for the well being of the child," Judy answered John as she patted him lightly on the arm. "Now, I have to go check on some of the other children assigned to me, but I will be back soon. Just hit the call button if you need me before then."

"We will. Thanks," John replied, before turning to focus his attention on his youngest son. Reaching out to card his fingers through Sammy's chestnut colored hair while Dean stroked his brother's palm with his thumb, John said, "We're here for you Tiger, and we'll be here until you are ready to wake up."

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 6**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **Please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever and any medical information comes from searching Google. All mistakes are my own.

**Previously: **_Reaching out to card his fingers through Sammy's chestnut colored hair while Dean stroked his brother's palm with his thumb, John said, "We're here for you Tiger, and we'll be here until you are ready to wake up."_

Sitting at Sammy's beside an hour or so later as the sun rose over the horizon and cast its' first golden rays into the room, John emitted a jaw popping yawn as he watched his two children sleeping. Sam had yet to fully awaken from his surgery and Dean had finally given into his own exhaustion and fell asleep approximately forty-five minutes ago, slumped over the side of Sammy's hospital bed. Looking at his eldest, John knew Dean would most likely suffer the effects of a sore back with the way he was laying, but he just didn't have the heart to wake his oldest son only for Dean to be burdened with worry for his baby brother. Tugging his rough calloused hands through disheveled hair, he wished he could get his hands on a strong cup of black coffee. He really needed a good caffeine jolt right now, but refused to leave his slumbering children. Glancing up at the sound of soft footsteps entering into the room, he smiled as he saw a student nurse approach.

"I just came to check Sam's vitals," the young nurse voiced softly so as not to wake the sleeping boys. Pulling Sammy's chart from the holder at the bottom of the bed, she walked over to check the readout on his heart monitor and then noted his pulse and blood pressure on the chart.

"How's he doing?" John inquired with a whisper as he watched the nurse place the chart back into its' proper position at the foot of the bed.

"About as well as can be expected with everything he has been through," Janice, the student nurse, answered with a smile of her own. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"A cup of java would be nice," John replied with a hint of pleading to his voice.

"Coming right up," Janice stated with a smile before exiting the room to do as asked. The angst filled father really did look like he could use a string cup of coffee.

Janice had no sooner left the room when John heard the rustling sound of movement coming from Sammy's bed. Striding over to the bed quickly, he immediately noticed the way that Sammy's hands clutched at the sheets as if he were in pain.

"Sammy, I need you to wake up for me son," John encouraged, immediately taking note of the fact that Dean was now wide awake also and looking at Sammy intently.

"Come on sleeping beauty and wake your ass up. You don't want me to have to kiss ya do you?" Dean stated with a smirk, though worry was evident in his eyes.

"Ha-Hate to tell ya De'n, but I'm not a girl and you definitely aren't Prince Ch-Charming," Sammy retorted with a grimace as he finally opened his blue-green eyes to see a lone tear trailing down his big brother's face which caused him great concern. "You 'kay?"

"Me? I'm not the one who's laying in the hospital bed kiddo," Dean voiced affectionately as he sat on the edge of Sammy's bed and carded his fingers through his baby brother's curly chestnut colored hair. Feeling the burden of guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders, he knew he needed to bare his soul and apologize for letting his baby brother get hurt. "Sammy, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for wh-what?" Sam questioned with astonishment, grimacing once again as he tried to shift himself in the bed to find a more comfortable position. Dean had nothing to be sorry for that he could remember.

"It's my fault you were hurt," Dean responded ashamedly as he pressed the button on the morphine pump to administer Sam some much needed pain medication since the kid wasn't doing so for himself. "If I had been there…"

"Dean, s'not your f-fault. There's no way you could ha-have known what was going to happen. I wa-was the one wh-who…" Sammy's voiced trailed off as exhaustion and the medication set in and sleep claimed him once again.

"He's right, ya know," John voiced as he grasped Dean's chin to look him in the eye. "It's time you stop blaming yourself for Sammy getting hurt. It's obvious he doesn't."

"But…"

"No buts about it Dean. I know you think Sammy's welfare is your sole responsibility, and I'm partially to blame for that, but you know he wouldn't want you to think that way. Sammy loves you and he wants you to have a life of your own too," John informed his eldest.

"I know that Dad, but it's just, I should have been there. I should have kept him from being hurt."

"You're here now and that's what counts," John voiced gruffly as he placed a hand on Dean's shoulder in comfort. "Besides, once we get Sammy better and get him the hell out of here, we'll make that bastard who stabbed him pay for what he did."

"You've got that right," Dean enunciated strongly, just as the nurse returned with his dad's coffee, causing Dean to look at his father with envy. "Any chance I can get a sip of that?"

John thought about refusing the request, but then handed the cup over since it was obvious Dean needed the caffeine too since he was running on less than n hour of sleep. Turning his attention to the nurse, he said, "Sammy woke up for a few minutes."

"That's wonderful news. I'll be sure to let his doctor know," Janice informed the small family before taking her leave once again.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Walking into the room later that afternoon to check on his young patient, Dr. Brad Spencer was pleased to see Sam awake and attempting to eat the raspberry flavored jello and chicken broth that had been brought to him for dinner by one of the candy stripers.

"Hello Sam," the young doctor dressed in blue jeans voiced as he strolled over to the bed and patted his young patient on the knee. "I'm Dr. Spencer, but you can call me Brad. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," Sam answered hesitantly as the doctor motioned for him to lay back so he could check his stomach incision for any redness or puffiness around the stitches.

"Just okay? That doesn't sound very convincing," the doctor intoned as he checked for abdominal distention. "Are you experiencing any sharp pains in your abdomen when you move?"

"Yeah, he has," Dean informed the doctor before Sammy could have a chance to deny that he was hurting earlier. Sure, the Winchester way of handling pain was _to suck it up_, but he'd be damned if he was going to let Sammy suffer pain needlessly. "He grunted in pain every time he shifted in the bed earlier."

"Hmmm, has there been any nausea, diarrhea, or rectal tenderness or fullness?" Brad questioned, placing his palm on Sam's forehead to check for a higher than normal fever after coming out of surgery.

'No Sir," Sam voiced, his cheeks tingeing a bright red in embarrassment upon the doctor's questions.

"Doc, is there anything we should be concerned about?" John queried with concern as he watched the doctor closely for signs that something was wrong.

"I'm not sure. The pain Sam is feeling is most likely from the trauma to his abdomen, but I want to keep him in the ICU for at least another 24-36 hours for observation. I don't want to chance missing any complications that could arise from the abdominal leakage," Dr. Brad Spencer answered, just to be on the safe side.

"Sure Doc, whatever you think is best," John agreed wholeheartedly. He wasn't about to take any chances with his son's life either.

"Hey Doc, is there anything we should watch for? I mean other than the diarrhea and nausea?' Dean inquired, needing to know what to look for should some kind of complication develop.

"Basically, you two know Sam better than we do," Brad stated thoughtfully as he considered Dean's question. "If anything seems off to you or if he becomes chilled or weaker than you would consider normal after a surgery like the one he's had, then let the nurses know right away. It could be a sign that there's something wrong"

"You can count on it doc," Dean stated, reaching out to discretely check Sammy for fever while brushing the kid's bangs aside. He had let Sammy down by not being there for him when Sammy was injured, so he would make sure to be extra vigilant with his younger sibling's health now.

'_Oh great, just what I need, Dean's really going to mother hen me to death now," _Sam thought as he rolled his eyes at Dean's penchant for being overprotective when it came to him.

"Looks like your sons are very close," Brad voiced softly as he graced John with a wistful smile. "You're a lucky man to have such fine young boys."

"You've got that right," John agreed wholeheartedly, glancing fondly over at his children. When it came to his sons, he couldn't ask for any better. Of course there were times that he felt like wringing their necks a time or two when the two squabbled endlessly on their long road trips, but even then, he wouldn't trade his boys for anything else in the world.

"Okay, I'll leave the three of you in peace to get some rest. If you need anything, just push the call button and somebody will be right with you," the doctor stated as he prepared to leave the room so he could finish his medical rounds.

'Okay, thanks Doc," John voiced, reaching out to shake the doctor's hand. Escorting the doctor to the door, he sat down in the far corner of the room so he could keep a close eye on his boys, yet allow them the privacy for Dean to coddle their youngest while Sammy half-heartedly protested the treatment. Finally, things seemed to be going their way for a change.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 7**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **Please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever and any medical information comes from searching Google. All mistakes are my own.

**Previously: **_"Okay, thanks Doc," John voiced, reaching out to shake the doctor's hand. Escorting the doctor to the door, he sat down in the far corner of the room so he could keep a close eye on his boys, yet allow them the privacy for Dean to coddle their youngest while Sammy half-heartedly protested the treatment. Finally, things seemed to be going their way for a change._

Surreptitiously watching his boys from the corner of his eye as he supposedly perused a Car and Driver magazine, John couldn't help but grin as he watched Dean drive his baby brother absolutely crazy with his overbearing protectiveness.

"Dean, sto-op, I'm not a baby," Sam whined, as Dean picked up a Kleenex from the nearby dresser and proceeded to wipe away the pinkish water droppings from the cherry pedialyte popsicle his brother was currently slurping on from his chin.

"Yes you are," Dean retorted as he threw the paper napkin towards the trash, scoring a hole in one. "You're my _baby_ brother,"

"Da'ad, tell Dean to stop treating my like I'm a baby," Sam pleaded as he glanced over at his father with his puppy dog eyes working at full force.

"Dean, stop treating your brother like a baby," John lightly chastised, keeping the smirk on his face hidden by the magazine he was holding. "As for me on the other hand, now that's a different story."

"Da'ad, not you too," Sam moaned as he watched his father place the magazine on the windowsill and walk over towards his bed.

"Hey Tiger, whether you like it or not, you and Dean will always be my babies," John informed his youngest as he tucked the blanket in around Sammy to keep his youngest child from becoming chilled. Sam was already running a low grade fever as it was, and he didn't want it to become worse.

"Hey, does that mean I can have a popsicle too?" Dean asked hopefully, as his tongue licked his lips in anticipation of getting the cool treat.

"Sorry Ace, but those are only for Sammy," John answered, gracing his youngest with a wink before hitting the nurse call button to ask if they could have another popsicle, much to Dean's delight.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting on the edge of Sam's bed as they played a game of 'Go Fish' with a deck of playing cards, Dean couldn't help but notice how much his baby brother was beginning to squirm around and it gave him immediate cause for concern. Sure, Sammy had always been a wiggle worm, but never as much as he was moving about now. It was if the kid had ants in his pants or something.

"What the matter squirt?" Dean voiced with worry as he reached out to palm Sammy's forehead with his right hand to see if his fever had increased.

"Nothing. M'okay," Sam answered hurriedly as he shifted his eyes towards the cards he was holding in his hand and asked, "You got any eights?"

"Un uh, Sammy. I can tell something is bothering you so time to fess up Kiddo," Dean retorted, placing his cards face down on the portable bedside table and giving Sam a knowing glance.

"I already told you, nothing's wrong, Sam answered, still unable to look his brother in the eye since he was being untruthful with him. Dean had always been able to read him like a book.

"Your butt hurts doesn't it, Sammy?" Dean asked softly, noticing the wince his sibling was trying to hide as he shifted in the bed once again in an attempt to get more comfortable. Sure, any other time, he would have picked on the kid unmercifully about being _'a pain in the ass,' _but not now, not while he brother was so sick.

"Yeah," Sam answered honestly, his cheeks tingeing a slight pink with embarrassment at having to admit where he was actually feeling discomfort.

"Dad," Dean left the statement unspoken knowing his father was probably thinking along the same lines as him.

"I'm on it Dean," John informed his eldest as pushed himself up from the chair he was sitting in and strode quickly from the room to alert the nurse. He fully remembered the doctor having questioned Sammy earlier about whether or not he had been feeling any rectal tenderness or fullness and it left him feeling anxious as to what could be wrong with his son.

Shifting his focus back to his brother once his father had exited the room, Dean couldn't help but worry at seeing the rigid way his brother was lying in the bed, almost as if he was deathly afraid of something. "Sammy, you okay?"

"Dean, I don't want the doctor to come in and check me, uh…down there," Sammy muttered, tears filling his eyes as he thought about the doctor prodding his bottom. The thought was just too mortifying for him to handle.

"I know you don't Kiddo, but I'll be right here with you," Dean soothed, reaching out to thumb away the tears that leaked from his baby brother's eyes. "You won't have to go through it alone and I promise, I won't even pick on you about it afterwards."

"Thanks De," Sam voiced gratefully, just before his Dad and doctor walked back into the room. Even though he didn't want to Dean to see ihim going through such an embarrassing exam, he really didn't want to go through it by himself either.

"No thanks needed, munchkin," Dean voiced as he sat on the edge of the bed facing Sammy so that he could give Sam as much privacy as possible for the examination. "Besides, have I ever told you about the time…"

Dean then went on to tell his brother a totally made up story that kept the kid's attention focused on him instead of what the doctor was doing at the time.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Well doc?" John queried anxiously as the doctor pulled the sterile gloves off his hand and tossed them into the trash after examining Sam.

"I cant be positive until I do some further testing, but I think Sam has developed an Intra-abdominal abscess," Dr. Brad Spencer informed John as he placed his hand on Sam's stomach to check for abdominal distention. "The fever and rectal fullness that Sam is experiencing are both signs that indicate he has developed an abscess."

"But how could that happen? I mean, wouldn't you have noticed that when you did the surgery on his stomach," Dean asked, noticeably upset with the fact that the doctor had apparently missed something that was obviously causing his brother pain.

"Dean, these kinds of abscess have been known to develop after surgery where the leakage of bowel matter was found present in the abdominal cavity during a surgical procedure. We flushed out your brother's stomach with the gastric lavage in hopes of staving off an infection such as this, but apparently, it wasn't enough," Brad explained, not taking any offence with the fact that Dean was so upset with him. If he were in Dean's place, he would be mad as hell too.

"So these tests you mentioned doing, what will they entail?" John asked inquisitively, reaching out to brush a calloused hand through Sammy's chestnut colored hair, not sure whether it was for his son's comfort or his own.

"First, I need to do a CBC or complete blood count. If my diagnosis is correct, it should show a higher level of white blood cells than normal. Afterwards, I would like to do a CT scan or an abdominal ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.

"Sure Doc, whatever you need to do to make my son better," John agreed wholeheartedly knowing that he and Dean would never survive the loss of their youngest.

"I'll go get the tests set up then," Dr. Spencer stated as he traipsed over towards the door.

"Hey Doc, before you leave, can I ask you just one more question?" Dean queried with a whisper, noting the fact that his baby brother had drifted off to sleep during the conversation.

"Sure, what do you need to know Dean?" Brad asked, turning to face the young hunter.

"If Sammy does have the abscess thing, how will you treat it?" Dean asked, wanting to know all the pertinent facts.

"That depends on the severity of the abscess. Best case scenario, we would stick a needle into Sam's abdomen and drain he abscess over a couple of days or a week at the most. Worst case scenario, we would have to do another surgery to drain the abscess," Brad answered, hating the haunted look that the mention of surgery put on the young man's already tense and strained looking face.

"Just…just make sure it doesn't come to that, will ya?" Dean pleaded before gently climbing into Sam's bed and wrapping a protective arm around him since Sam was beginning to whine softly in his sleep. "The kid's already been through more than enough."

"I'll do my best," the doctor promised, smiling at the way his young patiently immediately calmed within his brother's hold. It was nice to know the brother's had such a close connection. It would definitely help with his young patient's recovery. Nodding at John, he silently made his way out of the room to give the small family some time alone together before the tests had to be done.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 8**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Previously**_**: **__Nodding at John, the doctor silently made his way out of the room to give the small family some time alone together before the tests had to be done to see if Sam did indeed have an Intra-abdominal abscess._

Sitting at his sons bedside just an hour or so later, John sighed in contentment as he watched Dean whisper soft words of comfort to his slumbering brother while carding his fingers through Sammy's chestnut colored locks. He couldn't hear the words that Dean was saying, but that didn't matter anyway since he knew they were meant for Sammy's ears only. His boys shared a bond that transcended the four year age difference between them. It didn't matter that Dean was quickly approaching adulthood and Sammy had just become a teen, the two still preferred each other's company to going out and spending time with friends…well, unless you counted girls of course. Dean had a thing for the ladies. Leaning back in his chair, John couldn't help but feel a little envious in knowing that he wasn't a part of that special bond that the two shared. Sure, they loved him without reservation, but when it came to something important, his boys always turned to each other first.

Hearing the sound of someone approaching the door of Sam's room, John glanced up to see a young female lab technician dressed in purple scrub gear entering the room and carrying a plastic container that was filled with empty vials, some of which had different colored lids. _"Ah, the vampire has arrived," _he thought knowing immediately why the young woman was there.

"Hello gentlemen. My name is Mary Jane, though everyone calls me Janie, and I'm here to draw the blood samples the doctor has requested for the CBC tests to be done on Sam," the pretty young phlebotomist, with the auburn colored hair, stated with a smile as she walked over to Sam's bed and placed her supplies on the small portable table in the room before pulling on a pair of sterile gloves.

"Can't this wait for a little while, at least until Sammy wakes up?" John asked, knowing that Sam was going to be upset upon finding out what awaited him upon awaking.

"I'm sorry, I really wish it could, but Dr. Spencer wants the results of the CBC as soon as possible," Janie answered with a sad smile upon noticing that her patient was sleeping so peacefully at the moment.

Sighing remorsefully upon hearing the information, Dean shook his little brother's shoulder gently to wake him up.

"Sammy, I need you to open your eyes for me, Tiger," Dean coaxed with a tranquil voice so as not to startle the kid.

"De, wha'?" Sam questioned groggily, his blue green eyes opening to mere slits per his brother's request.

"Sammy, the nurse is here to draw some blood for your tests," Dean informed his younger sibling as he lightly palmed Sam's cheek in comfort when Sam began to slightly tremble upon hearing the words.

"Hey, Hey. None of that Kiddo. I'm right here beside you and you're gonna be fine," Dean stated softly as wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulder and pulled his brother to his chest.

"Dean's right. It'll all be over before you know it," John told his youngest as he stood up and walked over to the bed where he could stand guard over his baby when the technician drew the blood.

Chewing on his bottom lip as the medical health care provider wrapped an elastic band around his upper arm and then swabbed the inside of his elbow with an antiseptic wipe to disinfect it, Sam couldn't help but wince in pain the next moment upon feeling the sharp stinging sensation as she deftly slid the needle into his vein. Damn, but he hated needles.

Attaching an airtight tube to the needle, the lab technician quickly withdrew four small vials of blood from Sam's arm, thankful that she hadn't had to stick her young patient more than once to get the required amount of blood.

Once the blood was collected, Janie withdrew the needle from Sam's vein and then covered the puncture site with sterile gauze and a band-aid to stop the small amount of bleeding that was occurring.

"All finished Sweetie," Janie commented soothingly as she wrote Sam's name and room number on the collected vials of blood and then placed them into the container before turning back to compliment her young patient. "You've been a real trouper Sam. You did better than most of the adults I've drawn blood from today."

"That's my boy!" John stated proudly as he reached out to tussle Sam's honey-brown colored locks while the lab technician packed up her things and left. If there was one thing he knew for certain, he couldn't ask for two better children than the two he already had.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Once the CBC tests were run and the results had been given to Dr. Brad Spencer, it was discovered that Sam did indeed have a higher than normal white blood count and the young hunter had been immediately been whisked away from his room for a CT scan of his abdominal area, leaving his family behind in the room to struggle through the wait period since they had been forbidden to go with Sam.

"Damn it, what the hell is taking so long?" Dean growled as he paced the room like a caged lion.

"Dean, Sammy's only been gone for approximately five minutes. You need to try and relax," John voiced calmly, even though he felt like his inside organs were quivering like a bowl full of Jello.

"I'll relax when the Doc comes in here and tells me that Sammy is going to be okay," Dean retorted with ire evident in his voice.

"I wish I could tell you that Dean, but after doing the CT scan, my fears have been confirmed. Sam is suffering from an intra-abdominal abscess," Brad stated, after having walked into the room just in time to hear Dean's remark.

"Sonuvabitch," Dean swore vehemently as he raised a shaky hand to his mouth in worry. "Where is he, Doc? Where's my brother?"

"He is being moved the X-ray room as we speak," Brad answered the young hunter succinctly. "I wanted to come inform the two of you what would be happening during the next few minutes and to keep you up-to-date on Sam's treatment."

"And just what will you be doing to treat the abscess?" John asked wearily as he tugged calloused fingers through his hair. "Will he have to have more surgery?"

"No, I believe we can safely drain the fluid and pus by inserting a needle into the abscessed area this time. That's why Sam is being taken to the X-ray lab as we speak, so that I can perform the procedure and get the drainage process started as quickly as possible," Brad informed the worried family members.

"How long will the drainage process take?" Dean asked inquisitively.

"That depends. As I said earlier, sometimes the process of draining an abscess takes a only couple of days to run its course, but in some cases, the drainage process can take up to a few weeks to be completed," Brad answered, glancing furtively at his watch. "Now if you will please excuse me, I really do need to get down to the X-ray lab so I can do the procedure."

"Of course," John agreed readily. "But I just need you to answer on thing for me. Are we looking at any life threatening complications in having the procedure done?"

"John, I won't lie to you. With any medical procedure, there can be unforeseen complications. But if we don't do the procedure, Sam is at risk of having the abscess rupture. If this happens, then there is a very high chance of the infection spreading to Sam's bloodstream, which would most definitely prove fatal in Sam's case," Brad answered honestly.

"Then what are you waiting for? Get down there and take care of my brother," Dean implored, wincing when the remark came out sounding somewhat rude and abrupt.

"As you request," Brad responded with a grin, not taking any offense at the young man's remark. He knew how upset Dean was with not having his younger sibling there by his side.

Sitting down in their respective chairs once the doctor had exited the room, both John and Dean sighed despondently as they settled in for yet another wait where their Sammy was concerned.

**TBC. **_I'm sorry if this chapter doesn't seem up to par, but we are dealing with a major medical issue family wise, so I ask you to **PLEASE UNDERSTAND** if it takes me longer than usual to get chapters up._


	9. Chapter 9

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 9**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Previously**_**: **__Sitting down in their respective chairs once the doctor had exited the room, both John and Dean sighed despondently as they settled in for yet another wait where their Sammy was concerned._

Thumping his fingers of his right hand on the arm of the chair as he glanced at the closed door and then at his watch, Dean couldn't help but think that this latest setback was his fault. If only he had been there at the motel instead of out with a girl, then Sammy wouldn't have been forced to endure yet another medical procedure, one that was sure to keep them in the hospital at least another day or two, days when he could be out there trying to catch the bastard who had hurt his Sammy.

"Dean, do you mind not thumping your fingers," John groaned as he raised his hands to his head and began to massage his temples lightly. The repetitive sound was causing a headache to build and that was the last thing he needed with his nerves already so frazzled with everything that had happened over the course of the last 24 hours or so.

"Sorry Sir, I didn't mean to upset you" Dean voiced before pushing himself to his feet and walking over towards the window in Sammy's room to see that snow had began to fall outside and was starting to cover everything in a sparkling sheen of white.

"No Son, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have growled at you just then," John refuted as he pushed himself to his feet and strode over to stand by Dean's side to place a supportive hand on his eldest son's shoulder. "It's just…"

"I understand Dad, you don't have to explain," Dean replied, accepting the rarely given comfort his father was offering. "It's been a long couple of days for me too."

"Hey Dean, do you remember the time a few years back when we were stuck at Jim's when that sudden snowstorm hit leaving us stranded for two weeks with nothing to do but play in the snow?" John queried as he gazed over the snow covered parking lot.

"Yeah, I'll never forget the look on Sammy's face when you stepped out the door of the parsonage just as he let lose with a snowball and it hit you full on in the face," Dean replied with a smile as he thought back to that time. "I didn't know if the kid was trembling from the cold or from the fact that he had just hit you with a snowball."

"I know. Kid probably thought I was going to spank his ass good with the sour mood I had been in at the time," John reminisced with a sigh.

"You sure surprised him though when you gathered up your own handful of snow and tossed a snowball right back at him," Dean stated, the smile on his face growing with the vivid recollection of what happened soon after. "Sammy giggled so hard that day that I thought he was going to keel over from laughing. That was the best day ever as far as Sammy was concerned."

"I know what you mean. I can't remember another day when the three of us had so much fun. I should have…" John's voice drifted off as the door to Sammy's room opened and Dr. Brad Spencer walked in followed closely by two orderlies who were pushing a portable gurney between them, a gurney on which their youngest now lay sleeping and looking very pale to him.

"Doc, is something wrong. I mean, Sammy just seems so pale." John voiced apprehensively as he reached out a hand and brushed it over Sam's chestnut colored hair.

"He's doing okay. We had a little scare in the x-ray room when Sam panicked causing his blood pressure to shoot up, which in turn caused me to have to sedate him to perform the drainage procedure he needed. But as I said earlier, Sam's doing fine now," Dr. Spencer stated, to calm the overwrought family members before him.

"Wh-what caused Sammy to panic?" Dean inquired anxiously, not yet ready to let the doctor off the hook. It wasn't like Sam to panic. His brother was one tough little dude.

"I'm not totally sure, but I think it was just the idea of having a needle, with a drainage tube attached, inserted into his stomach," Brad answered thoughtfully. "Especially when he found out that it might have to stay in for more that just a few hours."

"How long are we talking about here Doc?" John queried, caressing Sam's cheek softly with his thumb when the boy began to whimper softly in his sleep.

"Honestly, I can't say. It depends on just how bad the abscess is. It could be anywhere from 36 to 72 hours or longer,' Dr. Spencer answered truthfully.

"_Knowing Winchester luck, it will 72 hours or longer," _thought John to himself despondently as he automatically reached out to give the doctor's hand a shake. "Okay, thanks Doc, for taking such good care of my boy."

"You're welcome," Brad voiced as he pumped John's hand firmly before walking over towards the opened hospital room door. "I'll be back later to check on Sam after he awakens.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting at his youngest child's bedside as he waited for Sam to wake, John couldn't help but lift the blanket covering Sam's abdomen to take a look at the incision and then winced upon seeing the end part of the needle and the tubing protruding from it. He could imagine how painful it must have been for his youngest to have a needle stuck into his stomach and prayed that the doctor had used some kind of local anesthetic to numb the area before sticking the needle in.

"Sure hope the doc gave Sammy something before sticking him with that needle," Dean voiced aloud, echoing John's thoughts as he sat on the opposite side of Sam's bed and carded his fingers through his sibling's chestnut colored hair, Sam's head automatically turning towards Dean as his eyes began to flutter.

"Dad, I think he's waking up," Dean informed his father with a smile before turning his full attention to his brother, tears misting his eyes. "Come on Sammy, time to grace us with those beautiful blue-green eyes of yours,"

"De'n, you 'cryin," Sammy slurred with concern upon opening his peepers fully and noticing the glistening sheen that encompassed his brother's eyes.

"Nah, just got something in my eyes Kiddo," Dean replied as he reached out to brush away the long bangs that drifted down over Sammy's forehead when Sam moved his head. "How are you feeling?"

"M'okay I guess, just a little sore," Sam replied, his hand going down toward his tender stomach area.

"Whoa, careful there, Tiger. You don't want to dislodge the tubing," John voiced as he reached out to grasp Sam's hand and stop it's progress. He didn't want his baby boy inadvertently causing himself any undue pain.

"Dad?"

"Yeah Sammy?"

"When can we leave? I don't wanna be here anymore." Sammy stated, his wo-be-gone 'puppy dog' eyes nearly melting his father's heart.

"Just as soon as the doctor says you can leave, we'll be out of here quicker than you can say Jack Be Nimble," John answered, unwilling to leave any sooner. Sure, he had taken his kids out of the hospital before, but that was only under the threat of losing them to Child Protective Services when some nosy doctor stuck his nose where it didn't belong.

"But dad, can't you just…"

"No way Sammy. Besides, what's your hurry? I mean, everyone's waiting on you hand and foot. And just think of the sponge bath the nurses will give you tonight," Dean voiced, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Eww, that's your thing bro, not mine," Sammy stated as he crinkled up his nose in a disgusted manner.

"Don't worry about it squirt. I'll ask the nurse to let me give you your bath tonight so you modesty is protected," John touted as he pulled the blanket back up over Sammy. "You just worry about getting better."

"Who are you and what have you done with my Dad?" Sammy smirked, not accustomed to the more gentler side of his father.

"Ha, ha, very funny," John groused lightly, happy to see the smile on his youngest son's face.

"Maybe I should douse the old man with holy water just to make sure it's him. What do you think, munchkin?" Dean asked his brother with a wink, trying to keep the atmosphere affable.

"You do that and I might just have to turn you over my knee," John warned his eldest with a smirk of his own.

"Jeez, you're becoming a sourpuss in your old age Dad. You know that?" Dean grumbled petulantly.

John was about to make a retort to Dean's remark when he saw that his youngest had drifted off to sleep once more and placed a finger to his lips to warn Dean to stay quiet before motioning to the far side of the room with his head.

"Now that Sammy's sleeping peacefully, why don't you go pick us up something to eat from the cafeteria," John whispered as he pulled a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and handed the money over to Dean. He knew his eldest had to be hungry since Dean had barely eaten any food for the past 24 hours and to be honest, he was hungry himself.

"But Dad, I'm not.."

"Don't tell me you're not hungry because I heard your stomach growling earlier when you were teasing Sammy. Now go on." John ordered. He was going to make sure he took good care of both of his sons.

"Yes Sir," Dean answered, sticking the money in is pocket as he glanced over at Sammy one last time before leaving the room. Damn, but his father could be bossy at times.

Nodding his head in satisfaction as Dean left the room, John walked back over to his youngest son's bedside and sat down to watch over Sammy to hopefully keep away the nightmares that he knew would soon assail his child's mind over the attack.

**TBC **Sorry that you had to wait so long for an update. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I'll try to do better.


	10. Chapter 10

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 10**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously**_**: **__Nodding his head in satisfaction as Dean left the room to get them something to eat, John walked back over to his youngest son's bedside and sat down to watch over Sammy to hopefully keep away the nightmares that he knew would soon assail his child's mind over the attack._

The thought had no sooner left his mind when John could see the lines of tension increasing in his young son's face as Sam began to whine softly in his sleep. "Shhh, everything's okay Tiger. Daddy's right here and nothing is going to hurt you," he cooed as he palmed Sam's cheek with one hand while using the other to card his fingers through Sam's chestnut colored hair.

Smiling as Sam soon settled under the comforting touch, John was grateful that he still had the touch where his baby boy was concerned. He and Sammy had started fighting lately, and he sighed with the knowledge that those fights would probably happen more and more often as Sam progressed through the angst-filled rebellious teenaged years.

Leaning back in his chair as Sam settled into a peaceful sleep once again, he turned his head towards the door upon hearing the sound of someone approaching and hoped it was Dean. He was so damned hungry right now he could eat a horse.

Returning a few moments later with a couple of Styrofoam takeout trays from the cafeteria in his hand, Dean's automatic response upon walking into the room was to glance over at Sammy to check on him before walking over to his father and handing him a tray filled with baked chicken and rice pilaf, butternut squash, and a slice of pecan pie for dessert.

"He wake up while I was gone?" Dean questioned with a nod of his head toward his younger sibling as he pulled over the small portable table in Sam's room between him and his dad so they could place their plates on it.

"Dean, you weren't gone but maybe fifteen minutes," John heaved with a sigh, keeping the knowledge of the earlier moment to himself. He knew Dean would have been upset with himself for not being there and his eldest already had enough stress on his overburdened shoulders. "You know the medication they have him on makes him sleep for a while."

"I know Dad. I just don't want him to wake up and think I wasn't there for him again," Dean voiced, still blaming himself for Sammy being hurt.

"Dean, Son, how can I get it through your thick skull that it wasn't your fault Sammy was hurt. It was a freak accident," John iterated strongly as he reached out to place a hand on his eldest son's shoulder.

"Da-Dad's right, ya know" Sammy voiced with a yawn as he raised his hands and fisted the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for not listening to Dad when he told me to stay inside."

"No Kiddo, don't go blaming yourself," Dean retorted immediately as he pushed his own dinner plate away and stood up to walk over to his sibling's bed. "You were just trying to protect our old man."

"Well, I'll make you a deal. If you stop blaming yourself for what happened, then I'll do the same," Sammy offered with a tentative smile.

John couldn't help but smile at hearing his young son's offer. Sam instinctively, though unintentionally, knew just how to play his big brother whether Dean knew it or not. And this time, he had Dean over a barrel, as the saying goes.

"Deal," Dean voiced as he reached out to smooth away the bangs that were beginning to fall in front of Sammy's expressive blue-green eyes, "but only if you eat the rice and butternut squash those idiots in the cafeteria put on my plate." Of course, Dean gave off an exaggerated shiver as he mentioned the dreaded vegetable.

"Dean!" John chastised, with an incredulous look on his face, knowing that Sam's own meal would be brought to the room soon and it would contain its' own vegetables.

"What? Sammy likes vegetables, don't ya Kiddo?" Dean voiced innocently as he did his best to hide the grin that was trying to sneak out.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Later that evening found Sammy being returned back to his room after the doctor had performed another battery of tests to see if the drainage process was indeed working.

"Well Doc? What's the verdict?" John queried as he watched Sam being gently transferred from the small portable gurney and back onto his hospital bed.

"I'm happy to report that the procedure is working better than I had hoped. The x-ray showed there is not as much pus and internal inflammation in the abdominal area as there was earlier this morning," Dr. Brad Spencer informed the family with a smile upon his face.

"Does that mean Sammy can get out of here soon?" Dean questioned as he placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze upon hearing the good news.

"Well, I think I can say with utmost certainty that given another forty-eight hours or so, your brother should finally be able to leave the hospital," Brad stated much to the delight of the three Winchesters, while also adding a slight warning. "As long as he rests and doesn't try to do anything too strenuous."

"Don't you worry Doc, I'll make sure Sammy here is well taken care of and behaves himself," Dean informed the doctor as he clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"And you can believe me Doc when I say that he takes that job very seriously," John intoned with a hint of a smile. If there was one thing he had done right, it was fostered a bond between his two boys that could never be broken.

"Yeah, I can see that," Brad responded with a smile of his own. It didn't take a genius to see how much the older sibling truly cared for his younger brother since it was very clearly written in the expression on his face.

"Okay, if there are no more questions, then I will leave the three of you alone to enjoy your dinners," Dr. Spencer stated as Sam's meal was finally delivered by a candy striper.

"We're good Doc. Thanks," John intoned as he reached out his hand to give the doctor's a firm shake. He couldn't thank the man enough for saving his son's life.

"Okay then, I'll be back tomorrow to check on Sam and see if we can't get that stomach tube removed along with the Foley catheter he's had in since surgery. I'm sure Sam here would love to get rid of that little piece of medical equipment," Dr. Spencer stated.

"You've got that right," Sam replied, his cheeks tingeing a deep shade of crimson.

"I thought so. Well, you take it easy and I'll be back to check on you tomorrow morning when I make my rounds," Brad informed his young patient. "Oh, and I want to hear from the nurse that you've eaten everything on meal tray. You've got to eat to rebuild your strength if you plan on getting out of here in a couple of days."

"Yes Sir," Sam voiced meekly knowing that the doctor was lightly reprimanding him for having left the collard greens on his lunch plate. But to be honest, he didn't like collard greens, even if they did contain a lot of iron in them which would be good for his hemoglobin count.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"So Dad, what are we going to do to find the bastard who hurt Sammy once we get him out of here?" Dean questioned his father approximately an hour or so later after Sammy had faded off to sleep for the night. He was more than ready to get revenge on the man who had hurt his Sammy.

"I've been thinking about that Dean. Once we get back to the motel, I want you to stay with your brother while I go out and do a little unauthorized snooping, maybe find that cretin and deal out some swift justi…" John started to say before he was cut off abruptly by an upset Dean.

"But Dad, I want, no, I NEED to be there so when the time comes I can hand out some punishment of my own." Dean stated with intended ire. "I need to show that moron what happens when dimwitted idiots like him mess with my little brother."

"I know you want to be there Dean, but somebody is going to have to stay with Sammy and you know Sammy would want it to be you," John retorted as he placed a calming hand on his eldest son's shoulder. "Besides, you have no idea what the man looks like. Not only that, but I don't want you poking around on the seedier side of town, especially after what happened to Sammy. I can't deal with another child being hurt."

"Please Dad, I need to be a part of this. I need to make things up to Sammy for not being there for him," Dean pleaded, trying to make his father understand.

_Meanwhile, on the seedier side of town:_

"Listen mister, I think you've had a little too much to drink. Why don't I call you a cab so you can go home and sleep it off, huh buddy?" Floyd, the bartender stated as he scrubbed down the bar with a hand towel. The man in front of him had been coming in for the past couple of nights and drinking till the bar closed, but tonight, he was hitting the heavy stuff instead of just beer.

"N-No, I'm le-leavin," the drunken man of approximately twenty-five years old stated as he placed his whiskey glass on the bar and then stumbled towards the door. No matter how much he drunk, he just couldn't seem to get that little kid that he had stabbed out of his mind.

Stumbling out the back door and bracing his hand along the wall of the building as he stumbled down the back alley way, he suddenly found himself face to face with a man who seemed to appear from out of nowhere. "Wh-what'dya want?" he slurred drunkenly as he gazed up at the blond headed man of approximately six foot tall who stood in his way.

"You," the stranger answered with a sinister smile.

**TBC **_So who is this man and what is he up to?_


	11. Chapter 11

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 11**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously**_**: **__Stumbling out the back door and bracing his hand along the wall of the building as he stumbled down the back alley way, he suddenly found himself face to face with a man who seemed to appear from out of nowhere. "Wh-what'dya want?" he slurred drunkenly as he gazed up at the blond headed man of approximately six foot tall who stood in his way._

"You," the stranger answered with a sinister smile.

"M-Me? Wha' did I do?" the drunkard questioned, leaning against the wall in an effort to stay upright as his world began to spin around him.

"You hurt something that belongs to me, and for that, you must pay with your life," the man answered with a sinister sneer.

"Yo-You're crazy man. I din't hurt nothin," the man named Jack claimed, too drunk to really be afraid of what the man had just said.

"Oh, but you have my dear drunk friend. Let me remind you," the stranger stated just before his eyes glowed an iridescent yellow. Raising his right hand, he placed it palm forward on Jack's forehead causing the drunkard to relive the moment he stabbed a young innocent boy who was only trying to protect his father.

"N-No. It was a-an accident. I din't mean to hu-hurt the kid. I swear, it I din't mean it," Jack sobbed loudly as he slid down the wall, his hands raising to cover his face. "It wasn't…I didn't mean it."

Looking at the sniveling man with contempt, Azazel couldn't help but once again be reminded how weak all humans are, or at least humans without the advantage of a few drops of his blood flowing through their veins. They were good for nothing more than being worn as meat suits by his kind. But this human…this human would never have the chance to be graced with such a privilege. This human had to be taught that you just don't mess with his chosen!

"That makes no difference to me. You hurt the boy who I have chosen to stand by my side someday and lead my army so prepare to suffer." With those words, Azazel squeezed his right hand into a fist and twisted it in a half circular motion, then watched in satisfaction as Jack grasped his chest and moaned in pain when his heart felt like it was literally being squeezed from the inside out. Releasing the invisible grip he had on the man's heart just before Jack succumbed to the pain, Azazel smiled once again.

"You didn't think I was going to make it easy on you and kill you so fast did you? No, you made my prodigy suffer, so I am going to make you suffer too," he informed the useless piece of filth as he formed his hand into a letter 'c' shape and started squeezing it, the motion effectively choking the whining wimp now kneeling before him.

"Please, I didn't mean to hurt the kid," Jack rasped out, the sound of his voice barely audible as his face turned a dark shade of red from lack of oxygen.

"Quit your damn sniveling," Azazel roared, releasing his grip and looking disgustingly at the man who had begun to wet his pants in fear.

"Please, I…."

"Enough," Azazel ordered, silencing the man with a mere move of his finger. "You will now feel the burn of a knife as it sinks into you the way it did into my chosen one."

**(Small Torture Scene Ahead)**

Jack watched in shocked horror as a gleaming silver switchblade appeared from nowhere and then levitated in front of his eyes before dipping lower towards his stomach. He opened his mouth in a silent scream of abject terror as the knife was jammed into his stomach and very slowly dragged across from hip to hip. He wretched violently as he felt a hand reach into his now gaping stomach and latch onto his intestines and slowly began to pull. Vomit spewed forth from his mouth as he stared disbelievingly into the yellow eyes of the man who was eviscerating him alive. His eyes seemed to ask 'why' just before he mercifully passed out and died just moments later.

**(Torture Scene Over)**

Satisfied that the man had paid severely enough for his misdeed, Azazel disappeared from sight to allow the insects of the night to come feed on the slowly cooling body that he left behind.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Awaking early the next morning as the sun came up, John tugged a hand through his disheveled hair as he sat up in the reclining hospital chair and looked over at his youngest son who was finally sleeping contentedly in his hospital bed. The kid had been having a bad night filled with nightmares of the stabbing until Dean had climbed into the bed with him and held Sammy close. Thankfully, his baby had rested well ever since.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, John stood up and stretched the aches from his back and then walked over to the hospital bed where he carded his fingers gently through Sammy's hair.

"Dad? Somethin' wrong?" Dean asked sleepily through a yawn as hen squinted is eyes open a mere slit.

"Nah, everything's okay," John informed his eldest with a smile. "Go back to sleep. I'm going to go get a cup of coffee."

"'Kay. Bring me some when you come back?" Dean whispered questioingly, his eyes closing and his breathing evening out in sleep before his father ever left the room.

Exiting the room and walking down the hallway filled with an antiseptic smell, John couldn't help but hope that Dr. Brad Spencer was right, that this would indeed be the day that Sammy got the stomach tube removed along with the Foley catheter. He knew Sam was getting better, but he wouldn't fully believe it until Sammy was up and walking around on his own.

Digging in his pocket for some change, he fed three quarters into the coffee machine at the far end of the hallway and then breathed in deeply when the aroma of hot coffee filled the air. Damn but he needed a strong shot of caffeine.

Waiting for the hot liquid to stop poriong, John reached in and pulled the hard plastic cup filled with coffee from the dispenser area and then tipped it to his mouth and sighed in satisfaction after swallowing down the first dregs of the hot sludge.

Drinking the coffee down within short order, he quickly pulled some more change from his pocket and bought another two cups, one for Dean, and another for himself. Making his way back to Sammy's room, he was surprised to see both his boys awake since it was still relatively early.

"The nurse came in to take Sammy's vitals and it woke us both up," Dean explained upon seeing the surprised look on his father's face.

"Did she say anything about when the doctor would be here?" John asked, handing over one of the steaming cups of coffee to his eldest child.

"She said he was running a little late so it might be around 9:00 or so before he arrives," Dean answered, slipping out of the bed and sitting in a chair before sipping on the hot java his father had given him.

"Well, at least that will give Sammy the time to finish eating before the doc has to remove the stomach tube and the catheter" John voiced, knowing that it was time for Sam's breakfast to arrive.

"Dad, please, your embarrassing me." Sam, mumbled, his cheeks turning a deep crimson as a female candy striper walked into the room carrying his breakfast tray just in time to hear the words.

"Aw, it's okay sweetie, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Janie informed the youngster with a wink as she placed his breakfast tray on the portable table and pulled it over to Sam's bed, lowering it to her young patient's level before lifting the lid from the tray and exiting the room.

"Well what do you know, Little Sammy's got an admirer," Dean cooed aloud as Janie left the room.

"Shut up, jerk," Sam grumbled, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the nasty looking scrambled eggs that lay on his tray.

"Make me bitch," Dean retorted, just as a loud knock was heard at the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" John questioned as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Ya got me," Dean answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Striding over to the door, John opened it quickly as was surprised to see two uniformed officers standing at the door.

"Can I help you officers?" John asked, recognizing one of the officers from he night Sam was admitted to the hospital as he motioned them to step inside.

"Mr. Slade, can you tell us your whereabouts last night at approximately two o'clock in the morning?" Officer Jason Marks asked as he stared at the hunter intently.

"I was right here in this room with my sons, asleep," John answered as he glanced towards Dean and Sam before turning back to the officer. "Why?"

"Do you have someone who can corroborate your statement?" Jason asked as he pulled his notebook from his pocket.

"I told you we were sleeping. Why would I need someone to corroborate what I said?" John asked anxiously as he glanced from one officer to the next.

"Last night, the man who stabbed your son was found murdered in an alleyway. Witnesses say they saw a man of medium build running from the scene wearing a leather jacket, much like the one you wore the night of your son's attack," Officer Matt Speight answered as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"What? And you think my dad did it? Your nuts," Dean intoned, as he stood up defensively.

"He has motive," Richard answered as he took a threatening step forward.

"No, you can't arrest my dad," Sammy yelled, pushing the portable table away from him and attempting to climb from the bed, gasping at a sudden pain in his stomach.

"Sammy stay in the bed, you're going to hurt yourself, son!" John bellowed as he watched his son swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"No, they-they can't take you away," Sammy sobbed, his face paling considerably as he felt a tearing, burning sensation in his stomach.

"Daddy, De, hur's," He garbled just before his legs gave out and he slumped towards the floor.

"Sonuvabitch," Dean gasped, catching his younger sibling just in time to keep him from hitting the floor.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Dr. Brad Spencer's voiced boomed as he walked into the room in time to see his young patient collapse.

**TBC **


	12. Chapter 12

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 12**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously**_**: **__"No, they-they can't arrest you Daddy," Sammy sobbed as he climbed from the bed, his face paling considerably as he felt an intense tearing, burning sensation in his stomach. _

"Daddy, De, hur's," He garbled just before his legs gave out and he slumped towards the floor.

"Sonuvabitch," Dean gasped, catching his younger sibling just in time to keep him from hitting the floor.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Dr. Brad Spencer's voiced boomed as he walked into the room in time to see his young patient collapse.

"I'll tell you what's going on. Those two idiots have come in here and upset my little brother and now…" Dean's voice trailed off as the doctor knelt down beside him and immediately started assessing Sam's condition.

"Damn it," Dr. Spencer swore as he immediately noticed the rapid onset of shock and the way his patient cried out in pain when he barely touched Sam's stomach. Things were definitely not looking good for the young man. Glancing up as he heard the sound of others entering the room at a quick pace, he immediately started barking out orders upon noticing it was two of Sam's nurses. "Janie, call the O.R. and put them on standby. Tell them we might have an acute abdominal perforation on our hands. Alison, I need you to call the lab and tell them to clear the x-ray lab for a stat patient."

"Yes Doctor, right away," Alison answered as she quickly walked over to the phone to do as told. If Sam did indeed have an acute abdominal perforation as feared, then time was of the essence.

"Hey Doc, just how b-bad is this thing?" Dean questioned anxiously, his fear for his brother building substantially with each passing moment.

"I'm not going to lie to you Dean. If my fears about an acute abdominal perforation are confirmed, it means that Sam is in serious trouble since the mortality rate for the injury can be very high the longer it is left untreated," the doctor answered as he carefully taped down the stomach tube to keep it stable until he could get an abdominal series done on his young patient.

"Sonuvabitch," John swore loudly, echoing Dean's earlier statement as he tugged a calloused hand through his disheveled hair. Things had been going so well for his young son and now things had taken a major turn for the worse because of the two idiot detectives.

Turning to glare at the policemen as they stood gawking at the scene before them, he clenched his fists in anger and said, "If my son dies, I will make sure you'll regret it."

"Now wait just a damn minute. Are you threatening us?" Officer Matt Speight queried angrily as he glared at the imposing hunter.

"It's not a threat, it's a promise," John seethed as he stood his ground.

"Mister Slade, you are already in enough trouble without making threats against an officer of the law," Matt returned as he jangled the handcuffs in front of the angry hunter while his partner Jason Marks tried to calm him down.

"Damn it, will you gentlemen taking your pissing contest outside," Brad fumed as he fought to stabilize his young patient. The last thing Sam needed was to hear what was happening between his father and the police officer.

"And just what has Mister Slade done to get into so much trouble?" Alison questioned, once she hung up the phone after talking to the lab personnel, in an effort to ease the tension in the room before things got really out of hand. There was no way the man could have done anything since he had been at the hospital nonstop since his son had been injured.

"Mr. Slade here is a suspect in a possible murder that occurred last night on the other side of town," Matt answered smugly as he looked at the haughty nurse who dared to question him.

"I'm sorry officers, but you are definitely barking up the wrong tree if you consider Mr. Slade a suspect. John was here all night long. And if you don't believe my word, you can check with Security. They've had the CCTV cameras running all night long and one of them is right outside of this room.

"Wh-what?" Matt stuttered embarrassedly, his astonishment at the revelation showing on his face.

"That's right you asshole, you got it wrong this time," Dean informed the stunned officer as tears began to flow silently down his cheeks. If only the cops had been more thorough in their job before accusing his Dad, then Sammy wouldn't be facing another life threatening injury right now.

"I'm S-Sorry, I didn't mean…" Matt voiced, before being cut off by John.

"Yeah, well sorry doesn't cut it this time," John stated with contempt as he glowered at the officers before him.

"Mr. Slade…"

"Just get the hell out of my son's room," John fumed, his temper having already reached its boiling point. If the officers didn't leave soon, he wouldn't be responsible for what happened to them.

Apologizing once again, the officers left quickly, feeling lower than an ant's belly. Because of heir assumption, a young boy's life was now in jeopardy. Both men couldn't help but wonder if the incident would cost them their jobs.

"Alison, I'll need some help getting Sam back up into his bed," Brad informed the young nurse as he checked Sam's catheter to make sure no damage had been done in that sensitive area.

"We can help with that Doc," Dean interjected immediately needing to help his brother in any way that he could.

"Okay, I'll need you and your father to 'log roll' Sam so that I can slide a backboard beneath him to keep his body as still as possible until I can get him down to the x-ray lab," Dr. Brad Spencer agreed as he motioned for Alison to bring him the desired object. He didn't want to chance the stomach tube being pushed even further into Sam's abdominal wall if indeed it was.

In a concentrated team effort, the Winchester soon had a now unconscious Sam placed safely on the backboard and then transferred to the portable hospital bed so that Sam could be safely transported to the x-ray lab. Holding their breath, John and Dean were forced to watch as Sam was once again removed from their sight.

Feeling his knees weaken as the seriousness of the situation hit him once again, Dean stumbled and would have collapsed to the floor if it hadn't been for his father's strong arms encircling him in support.

"Dad, wh-what if.."

"Don't even think that Dean. Sammy is going to be okay. He's a fighter and he's got one of the best doctors there is taking care of him," John declared as he hugged his eldest to him, unwilling to accept any other possibility.

"I sure hope you're right because I can survive without him," Dean stated, his voice cracking as he thought about a life without his baby brother in it.

John's heart nearly shattered at that very moment, knowing that if he lost one son, he would surely lose the other. "Don't you worry Kiddo, you won't have to."

Guiding Dean over to one of the chairs in the room, he eased his son down and then sat opposite of him to await news of their youngest.

_**Meanwhile, in the X-ray lab**_

Knowing that he couldn't use barium to have the x-rays taken since there was a suspected abdominal perforation, Brad considered having a rectal contrast administered to help with the scan, but then vetoed the idea since Sam had previous problems with rectal fullness from the abscess. Settling on an abdominal series of x-rays with an IV contrast administered, Brad made sure that chest and abdominal x-rays were taken of Sam laying in the supine position as well as an upright position. Of course, utmost care was taken in placing their young patient in an upright position so that the stomach tube was not dislodged or further forced into the abdominal cavity.

Standing behind a barrier as the x-rays were taken, Brad then waited for them to be developed and then hung where he could read them. Sighing as he noted the free air showing under the diaphragm, Brad knew his next line of discourse was to talk to Sam's family so that he could inform them that their youngest would indeed require surgery. Reaching back to massage the tense muscles in his neck, Brad couldn't help but think that sometimes, he really hated being a doctor.

Turning to the lab technician, Brad said, "Jules, make sure Sam here is sent up to pre-op. I've got to go talk with his family and get them to sign the permission forms."

"Yes Doctor, right away," Jules stated as she walked over to the phone to call for a couple of orderlies to take care of getting her patient transported to pre-op.

Making his way back to Sam's hospital room with surgery permission forms in his hand, Dr, Brad Johnson thought about the easiest way of breaking the news to Dean and John, but knew that it basically was a moot point. Either way, Sam's family was going to be devastated by this latest setback and no words he could say would make it easier on them.

Stopping at the door for just a moment, Brad pushed it opened and wasn't surprised when John and Dean immediately stood, both of them watching him intently with red rimmed eyes.

"Doc?" John questioned.

"I'm sorry to inform you that my fears were confirmed," Brad stated in answer to the unspoken question. "When Sam moved off of the bed earlier, it caused his stomach tube to puncture the abdominal wall, thereby causing what is known as an acute abdominal perforation. Because of the immediate danger of peritonitis setting in due to gastrointestinal leakage, we need to operate on Sam right away."

"Damn it, why can't things ever go right for Sammy?" Dean sobbed as the news hit him hard, even though in truth, he had been expecting it.

"Dean, I promise you that I will do everything within my power to make your brother well once again. You have my solemn word on that," Brad voiced around the lump in his throat as he handed the necessary forms over to John to sign. He couldn't stand seeing the elder brother in such obvious despair over his younger sibling.

Signing the papers, John was unable to hold back the lone tear that trickled down the side of his face. Now, now all they could do was sit and wait once again and pray that Sammy would make it through.

**TBC. **_Sorry that I have not yet replied to your reviews to Sons of My Heart, but I promise to get to them soon. Things have been really hectic right now. Also, please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever._


	13. Chapter 13

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 13**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously:**_ Signing the papers that gave his permission for the abdominal surgery, John was unable to hold back the lone tear that trickled down the side of his face. Now, now all they could do was sit and wait once again and pray that Sammy would make it through._

"Alright people, I have the signed permission form in hand. Let's get this kid ready for surgery," Dr. Brad Spencer called out as he walked over to the equipment cabinet located in the corner of the pre-op room to get some of the items he would need to prepare his patient for surgery.

"Alison, I need you to get our Sam here started on a round of erythromycin right away," Brad informed his nurse as he pulled a nasogastric tube from the supply closet. By using the NGT, he would be able to gain access to the contents leaking into Sam's stomach and drain them before performing the operation that would hopefully save Sam's life.

"Yes Doctor, right away," Alison replied, knowing that getting the young teen started on another round of antibiotics was of utmost importance to help stave off the infection that was surely beginning to build from the gastric contents that had already invaded Sam's stomach from the abdominal perforation.

Laying the equipment that would be used for the insertion on the portable table as Alison started the IV, Brad quickly donned the protective gear required by hospital policy since there was a chance of being exposed to bodily fluids.

Pulling on sterile gloves as Jules helped him with the face shield, Brad took a few deep breaths to calm himself before starting the NGT insertion procedure. Sure it was one he had done hundreds of times, but he hated when he had to perform it on someone as young as Sam.

Waiting until Jules had raised the head of the mechanical bed so that Sam was in a more upright position for optimum neck/stomach alignment, Brad grasped the otoscope from the portable table and used it to check Sam's nasal cavity for any obstructions. Once he ascertained that it was clear, Dr. Spencer then picked up the nasogastric tubing and measured it from the bridge of Sam's nose, to the young hunter's earlobe, and then to the point halfway between the end of the sternum and Sam's navel and then noted the distance. Once that was done, he lubricated approximately four inches of the tubing with Xylocaine to help alleviate any discomfort Sam might feel during insertion, even while unconscious.

Gently inserting the tube into the right nare of Sam's nose, Brad slowly eased it past the pharynx and then lightly stroked Sam's throat to coax him into swallowing so that the tube would pass more easily into the esophagus and then the stomach. While doing so, he made sure to keep a close eye on his young patient's respiratory status to make sure he didn't go into respiratory distress during the insertion. Checking the placement, Brad then secured the tube to Sam's mouth with tape before connecting the end of it to the suction machine.

"Ali, once the contents of Sam's stomach have been suctioned out, I want him moved into the O.R. stat. The sooner we get the perforation taken care of, the better this kid's chances for survival are." Brad informed his most trusted nurse as he left the room to go scrub up for the surgery.

"Yes Doctor," Alison replied once again as she made the call to let the O.R. surgical team know their patient would be there within minutes.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Pacing across the pristine white tile floor of the O.R. waiting room, Dean couldn't help but wonder what in the hell was going on inside the surgery theatre. Sammy had been behind the closed doors for nearly two hours now and it was driving him crazy not knowing what was going on or how his baby brother was doing. It tore at him to remember the way that Sammy had looked just before passing out after having climbed from his hospital bed. Sucking in a stuttered breath, he began to unconsciously tremble as his mind lead him down a path where he no longer had his baby brother, a path where his baby brother had died on the operating table.

"Dean. DEAN!" John enunciated strongly in an attempt to gain his son's attention. It concerned him to see how pale Dean was looking and the way that he was trembling.

"Huh?" Dean uttered, turning around to face his father once the sound of John's voice had penetrated his mind. "Did you say something Dad?"

"Yes I did. I said you need to sit down and relax," John answered as he patted the seat of the padded chair beside him. "There's no sense in working yourself up into a panic until we hear something."

"I know, It's just…"

"You can't help but worry. Believe me son, I'm worried as hell myself. But we have to stay strong, for Sammy's sake," John voiced as he reached out to knead the tense muscles in the back of Dean's neck once his son sat down beside him.

"Dad, what if…"

"There's no what ifs this time Dean. Sammy is going to make it and that's all there is to it. He's a Winchester and Winchesters are fighters." John intoned.

"Yeah, you're right. Sammy's been kicking supernatural ass since he was just nine. There's no way he'll let something like this keep him down for long," Dean agreed in an effort to bolster not only his confidence, but that of his Dad's too. Allowing himself to finally relax, if only just a little, Dean permitted himself to soak in the comfort his father was so willing to provide.

Breathing a sigh of relief as his eldest finally settled, John thought about what he would say to Bobby once he finally gave the grizzled hunter a call to inquire about staying there for a couple of weeks until Sammy could fully heal from his injuries. The last time he had seen the man, Bobby had threatened to fill his ass with a load of buckshot if he ever dared to show his face at Singer Salvage Yard ever again. Sure, they had the option of staying with Pastor Jim or Caleb, but Bobby's place was much closer and Sammy wouldn't be up to taking a long road trip anytime soon.

Thinking back, John could begrudgingly understand why Bobby was upset with him about Sam getting hurt so badly. After all, he knew he should never have taken his children on a hunt for a Lamia, especially since the demonic monster's favorite meal just happened to be human children, but damn it, they were his kids and he did the best he could to protect them.

Pulled from his thoughts by the sound of soft soled shoes squeaking upon the tiled floor, John looked up to see Sam's doctor strolling into the O.R. waiting room as he tugged a green surgical cap from off his head.

"How is he Doc? How's my boy?" John asked, pushing himself to his feet as an anxious Dean did the same.

"Well, it was touch and go in there for a little while, but we were able to finally control the bleeding and close the hole that was caused by the tube pushing through the abdominal wall. Sam is going to be fine," Dr. Brad Spencer informed the stressed family members.

"Thank God," Dean voiced in relief, pulling in the first deep breath he could manage in hours as his Dad reached out grasp the doctor's hand and give it a firm shake.

"Thank you for saving my son's life. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure. Now if you gentleman will excuse me, I have a very important phone call that I need to make," Brad stated with one soul purpose in mind…making those two detectives pay for putting his young patient's life in jeopardy.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting behind his large mahogany wood desk, Captain Stan Thomas sighed as he looked at the mountain of paperwork he had to go through today. He hated paperwork and viewed it as the only real downfall to his position. He much preferred to be out in the field helping his team to solve cases. Grasping the top file off of the pile, he pulled it open and began to scan the contents, only to be interrupted by the intercom.

"Captain Thomas, you have a call on line three from a Dr. Brad Spencer."

"Thanks, Barbara," Stan voiced as he reached out to pick up the phone.

"Hey Brad, long time no see Buddy." stated the police captain with black who stood approximately six foot two inches tall, with a lean yet muscular build.

"Yeah, it has been a while," Brad agreed with a smile. He and Stan had been friends since both of them were in their teens "We'll have to get together soon for a round of golf or something."

"Or something…So, you got something on your mind?" Stan inquired worryingly, knowing that Brad didn't usually call him at work for something so meager as getting together."Yeah, we had an incident here at the hospital that involved two of your officers," Brad stated with a wince, though the police captain could not see his face.

"Tell me the name of the detectives and exactly what happened," Stan growled into the phone, as he pulled a manila writing pad and a pen from his desk drawer. One thing he wouldn't tolerate was misconduct or inappropriate behavior from any of his officers.

"Officers Jason Marks and Matt Speight walked into the room of a 13 year old patient of mine and proceeded to question his father about a murder case without checking the pertinent facts first," Brad informed his friend. "Hell Stan, they didn't even take the time to question my staff as to whether or not John Slade, who is my patient's father, had left at any time during the night. Nor did they bother to check the CCTV security cameras which would certainly have cleared him of suspicion before pulling out their handcuffs and making a threatening move towards the man."

"What else?" Stand questioned as he quickly wrote down the information. "I know you wouldn't be calling me unless something more substantial happened."

"Stan, this all happened in front of my patient. He became so upset that he climbed out of the bed and tried to go to his father. Stan, the kid had a stomach tube in and the action of getting out of the bed forced the tubing to go through the lining of his stomach causing an acute abdominal perforation," Brad reported to the police captain. "Damn it. Stan, I almost lost the kid on the operating table due to excessive bleeding. This incident could have caused my young patient his life."

"Sonuva…Thanks for letting me know what happened Brad. I can promise you those two detectives will be dealt with." Stan informed his friend before he hung up the phone.

Pushing the intercom button that would connect him to his secretary, he said, "Barbara, have Sgt. Michaels contact Detectives Marks and Speight. I want them in my office and I want them here NOW!

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 14**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously:**_ Pushing the intercom button that would connect him to his secretary, he said, "Barbara, have Sgt. Michaels contact Detectives Marks and Speight. I want them in my office and I want them here NOW!_

Sitting in a diner as he and his partner sipped on steaming hot cups of coffee, Officer Matt Speight could feel his body thrumming with anger over the past few hours. He was sure John Slade had been responsible for the murder of the perp who had stabbed his young son only a few days before. It pissed him off to no ends to find out that he had been wrong, that the insolent father of two had actually stayed in his son's hospital room all night long, a claim that was backed by the nurses in the ICU as well as hospital security cameras. How could he have been so wrong?

Raising his hand to scratch through the day old stubble that adorned his lower face, Matt chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about the brazen thirty something year old man. He knew he was hiding something, but he didn't know what. The man was too brassy with them when he had been accused and nearly handcuffed, and damn it, he was going to take down the cocky sonuvabitch if it was the last thing he did.

"Matty, what have you got going on inside that head of yours?" Officer Jason Marks inquired as he watched the younger officer inquisitively. He could tell by the look on his partner's face that he was up to something.

"Nothing man, I was just thinking," Matt answered innocently before raising the ceramic cup to his lips and swallowing another gulp of hot java.

"Don't give me that crap, man. You forget, I know you quite well," Jason retorted as he shifted the coffee cup in his right hand to the left. Matt had a volatile temper at times and it was all he could do to keep the younger detective in line at times.

"Yeah, I guess you do," Matt replied with a smirk before swigging down another gulp of the strong, black coffee. He and Jason had went through detective training together and he had been more than pleased when he was paired with the slightly older man.

"So fess up then, what's eating at you?" Jason asked as he leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table to give Matt his undivided attention.

"It's John Slade. I know the man is hiding something and it's bugging the hell out of me right now," Matt admitted as he looked the other officer in the eyes. "He's just got that _'air of mystery' _about him and I can't help but feel he should be behind bars or something."

"Matty, you're just upset that we were wrong about him; that he couldn't have been the one who murdered Jack Bennings," Jason stated with a sigh as he watched the anger building in the other man's eyes.

"Damn it, that's not true. I just…" Matt's voice drifted off as the sound of Jason's cell phone could be heard going off. Watching as his partner flipped up the phone and talked to whoever was on the other end, he could see Jason's facial features tense up and it concerned him.

"Something wrong?" Matt asked, once his partner had closed the device and placed it back in his pocket.

"That was Barbara. Capt. Thomas wants to see us right away," Jason answered with a sigh. Something was up.

"Hmmm, wonder what he wants," Matt voiced as more of a statement than a question as he pushed back his chair and stood up from the table. When the captain wanted to see you, you didn't keep him waiting.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting in the intensive care room as he waited for his youngest to wake up, John scrubbed a hand across his forehead as he thought about the events that led up to Sammy having to go through surgery again. It infuriated him immensely to know that Sammy was facing a longer recovery period now, all because of two incompetent detectives who didn't know how to do their job correctly. He wished more than anything he could make those two imbeciles pay for what they had done, but he couldn't take the chance of getting caught. With the lifestyle they led, CPS was sure to get involved and there was no way in hell he would chance losing his baby boy. Dean was nearly of age now, but Sammy…Sammy was just the tender age of thirteen.

Clenching his fists in anger at the thought of the two detectives getting away with having put Sam's life in jeopardy, he nearly screamed out in frustration, but was saved from doing so by the sound of his older son's voice breaking into his thoughts.

"Dad, it's been too long. Why hasn't Sammy woken up yet?" Dean questioned anxiously as he carded his fingers through his younger sibling's chocolaty brown locks.

"Dean, it's just the effects of the anesthesia son. Don't worry, he'll wake up soon," John voiced softly as he walked over and placed a calming hand on Dean's shoulder to give it a light squeeze.

"I sure hope so," Dean replied with a sigh as he reached out to clasp Sam's hand in his, taking note of how cool his brother's skin felt. It anguished him to see Sammy lying so unnaturally still and pale under the blanket. His baby brother was always moving about, even in sleep.

Glancing up as he heard someone entering the room, Dean smiled at Jules, the pretty young nurse who was attending to Sam, as she walked over to check the readings on the heart monitor that beeped a staccato rhythm as his sibling slept on, unaware of all the angst he was causing for his family. If it had been another time or another place, he would have made a play at the shapely young nurse. But that was the furthest thing from his mind as he once again focused his attention solely on Sammy.

"How's he doing Jules?" John inquired as he watched the nurse adjust the IV drip that was currently keeping his youngest hydrated and hopefully pain free.

"About as well as can be expected at this point," Jules answered with a small smile as she wrote down the latest readings in Sam's medical file. She wished she could give the angst filled father better news, but she wasn't a doctor.

"If that's the case, then why hasn't Sammy woken up yet?" Dean asked as he turned saddened eyes toward the nurse. "It's been almost two hours."

"Dean, sometimes younger patients require a longer recovery time from anesthesia. The extended wait time could also be a side effect of the medications the doctor had to use when performing the surgery," Jules explained, as she reached out to straighten the blanket that was covering her young patient.

"Try not to worry. I assure you, Sam will start showing signs of waking soon." Jules stated confidently in hopes of allying the young man's fears before striding quietly from the room.

"That's easy for you to say," Dean harrumphed quietly as the nurse strode from the room. It wasn't her baby brother who was laying there nearly comatose.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Placing the personnel files of Detective Marks and Speight into the top drawer of his large mahogany desk as the two detectives entered his office, Capt. Stan Thomas stood up and rounded the desk as the two men walked over and sat in the chairs in front of the desk.

"You wanted to see us, Sir?" Jason Marks questioned nervously, clearing his throat as he tried to remain calm under the reproachful eye of the police captain.

"Yes. Yes, I did," Stan answered as he sat down on the edge of the desk in front of the two detectives. "I got an interesting phone call from a doctor today who informed me that two of my trusted officers caused a scene at the hospital where he works today and managed to put one of his young patient's life in jeopardy. Would you two care to tell me what that was all about?"

"Sir, we were just doing our jobs," Matt bristled as his hands involuntarily clenched the arms of the chair. "We had reason to believe that John Slade had committed the murder of the man who…"

"You had reason to believe?" Stan questioned with disbelief as he glowered at the two men before him. "What **evidence** did you have before walking into that hospital room and accusing Mr. Slade of such a heinous crime? Did you even bother to question the staff at the hospital as to whether or not they had seen the man in question leave?"

"No Sir. But we had an eye witness who said he saw a man that fit John Slade's description leaving the scene of the murder." Matt answered, his adam's apple starting to bob nervously in his throat as he tried to defend his actions.

"And just how many other men do you know who would fit that description?" Stan queried angrily as he though about the witness's statement and vague description of the perpetrator. "Hell, half the male population of this town would fit the general description that was given to you after the murder, myself included."

"Sir, I know we were wrong in questioning John Slade in front of his ill son, but…" Detective Marks started to say before being interrupted by his angry superior.

"You're damn right you were wrong. And because of it, a young teen almost died on the operating table. I want you two to hand in your shields and your guns. You are on two weeks suspension, pending a formal investigation into the matter.

"But…"

"You heard me," Captain Thomas roared as he glared at the young and impetuous Detective Speight who was questioning his order. "Shields and weapons now."

Removing their badges and guns and placing them on the desk, Jason and Matt turned and prepared to leave before being called to a halt by the police captain.

"Yes Sir?" Jason asked sheepishly, the two officers turning back around to face the angry captain.

"I don't want to hear any allegations of you two badgering the Slade family or causing any more incidents. If I do, you two will go before Internal Affairs and I will have your badges permanently. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir," both men responded before turning once more to leave. They could only hope and pray that they wouldn't lose their jobs over the unfortunate incident.

**TBC I know most of this chapter revolved around the two officers, but they needed to be reprimanded for their actions. I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. Sammy will awaken in the next chapter.**

**Now that I am on vacation, I hope to get chapters out for you more quickly.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 15**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously:**_ "Try not to worry. I assure you, Sam will start showing signs of waking soon." Jules stated confidently in hopes of allying the young man's fears before striding quietly from the room._

"_That's easy for you to say," Dean harrumphed quietly as the nurse strode from the room. It wasn't her baby brother who was laying there nearly comatose._

Sitting at his brother's bedside, Dean was becoming more and more agitated as time progressed. He couldn't help but fear something was wrong and everyone was acting as if the recovery time was normal. Pushing himself to his feet, he was about to hit the call button to voice his concerns again when a slight movement from the bed stopped him in his tracks.

"Sammy, you finally waking up for us, Little Bro?" Dean questioned anxiously, carding his fingers through the long chocolaty brown locks of his thirteen year old brother.

"Mhmmm," Sam mumbled, unconsciously leaning into his brother's touch as his tongue snaked out to wet his dry lips. He really wanted to ask for something to moisten his dry throat, but his confused mind just couldn't seem to form he words for some reason.

"Here Tiger, try a little of this," John voiced softly as he scooped up a spoon full of ice chips and nudged Sam's mouth with them. He remembered well how surgery had left a person feeling like their throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert.

Opening his mouth and accepting the cool treat like a baby bird in search of food from its' parent, Sam sighed in contentment as the ice chips began to melt and soothe his parched, sore throat.

"S'good huh, Kiddo?" Dean crooned as he continued to tug his fingers through Sammy's hair in a comforting motion.

"Mhmmm," Sam agreed, his teeth beginning to chatter as he became chilled. Somebody really needed to turn up the heat in the room.

"Sammy?" Dean queried worriedly as he gazed up at his Dad with concern evident in his eyes as his baby brother began to tremble.

"C-c-cold," Sam stammered, emitting a full body shiver as the cold became unbearable to the young hunter

"What the hell?" John voiced worriedly before striding quickly over to the door and calling for help.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting at her desk as she completed the paper work, Jules was about to take a break to get a ham and cheese sandwich and possibly something cool to drink when she heard her young patient's father call out in concern.

Hurrying over to the room, she was about to inquire as to what was wrong; why the family was so upset, when she noticed her young patient shivering uncontrollably. Knowing immediately what was wrong, she walked over to the small closet in the room and pulled a woolen blanket from one of the shelves.

"This should help to stop the shivering," she stated as she placed the blanket over Sammy and tucked it in around him.

"Shouldn't you be checking for fever or something else?' Dean questioned incredibly as he watched the nurse. Surely something was terribly wrong with the way his sibling was trembling uncontrollably.

"I know this looks bad, but the shivering is an unfortunate side effect of the anesthesia," Jules explained as she adjusted Sam's IV drip and checked the readings on his heart monitor. "I assure you it will abate given time."

"Tell me Jules, is there anything else we should be worried about where the anesthesia is concerned?" John questioned, placing a calming hand on Dean's shoulder when Sam seemed to become more agitated upon hearing the stress in his big brother's voice.

"Well, usually the most common side effect of anesthesia involves post operative nausea and vomiting. Sam will most likely experience problems with it when he awakens more fully from the anesthesia," Jules answered as she wrote down Sam's latest vitals in his chart.

"If it happens, let me know immediately and I will give him another dose of anti-nausea medication."

"You can count on it," Dean replied immediately, snagging a chair with his foot and pulling it to Sam's bedside as Sam settled into a drug induced sleep once again. In no way, shape, or form did he want to be further than within reaching distance of his baby brother.

"Oh, there's one other thing I should warn you about," Jules stated just before walking out of the room. "Younger patients like Sam tend to have emotional outbursts upon fully awaking from anesthesia. You need to understand that in no way are these outbursts controllable by the patient. So, if Sam wakes up combative or in _'fight' _mode as we refer to it here at the hospital, alert me immediately. We'll try to let the episode pass on it's own since they tend to pass relatively quickly, usually within five minutes. But if not, I will administer a small dose of sedative to help him calm down."

"Will do. Thanks for warning us," John returned with a taut smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He didn't like the idea of Sam being so bewildered upon waking up that he would actually become combative.

Nodding her acknowledgement of John's statement, Jules quietly left the room to give the family what small amount of privacy they could have while in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting at the local bar as he guzzled down his second bottle of beer, Officer Matt Speight cursed at the idea of having been put on two weeks suspension. In his mind, it should have been John Slade who was in trouble right now. Not him and his partner, they were supposed to be the good guys. "If I ever get my hands on that sonuvabitch…" he grumbled under his breath as he motioned for a third bottle of cold Pabst Blue Ribbon beer upon finishing the second one.

"Matt, you need to slow down on that stuff," Officer Jason Marks stated as he watched the anger simmering in his partner's eyes. The last thing Matty needed was to go off half cocked and end up losing his job over his brewing temper. He could usually keep the younger officer under control, but when he lost his temper, it usually went off like a firecracker on the Fourth of July.

"Don't tell me what to do Jason," Matt returned angrily as he glared at his partner. "Doesn't it piss you off in the slightest knowing that we just lost two weeks pay, not to mention the black spot this suspension is going to put on our permanent records?"

"Of course I'm upset, that goes without saying," Jason answered as he tugged a hand through his dark hair. "But it was our mistake that led to the suspension, not something that John Slade did. We blew it on this one man and now we have to live with the consequences."

"To hell with the consequences. That bastard Slade may not be guilty of murder _this time_, but I'm telling you right now he is guilty of something. I could see it in his eyes. He's got quite a few skeletons hidden in his closet and I'm going to prove it if it's the last thing I do," Matt swore as he slammed his beer bottle down on the polished wooden bar.

"Damn it Matt, all that man is guilty of doing is protecting his son from harm," Jason rebutted testily as his own anger started to build. "And I'll tell you another thing. I am not going to let you ruin your career because of some drunken need for revenge. So you pull your shit together and own up to the fact that this suspension is our fault man. Ours and nobody else's!"

"Okay. Okay, I hear you," Matt voiced with a drunken sigh as he swiped a hand across his mouth before pushing away the bottle of beer that he was presently chugging on. Maybe he did need to think things through before he lost the only two things in life that mattered to him…his friend and his job.

**~Supernatural~~**

"Dad, I think he's starting to wake up," an anxious Dean informed his farther as Sam began to squirm about restlessly on his hospital bed.

"Yeah, I think you're right son," John agreed as he walked over to the bed and watched as Sammy slowly began to open his eyes.

"Sammy, how are you doing son?" John asked softly as he reached out to brush the sweat laced bangs back from his young son's eyes once they fully opened and attempted to focus on the surroundings.

"Wh-where am I?" Sam inquired apprehensively as his eyes began to scan the unfamiliar room. Everything was so indistinct and he feared the shadowy figures that were getting much too close for his own comfort.

"Sammy, it's okay son. Just relax," John encouraged as he reached out to push the call button to alert Jules that Sam was now awake. It was obvious Jules fears about an emotional outburst were coming to fruition.

"De-Dean? I want Dean," Sam cried out as tears began to fall down his face. "Where's Dean?"

"I'm right here Kiddo. You've got to calm down," Dean stated soothingly as possible, while reaching out to console his brother as he watched Jules enter the room with a hypodermic syringe in her hand.

"N-No, leave me alone," Sam sobbed as he tried to push away from the hazy figure. "Dean, please? Where are you?"

"Shh , I'm right here, Tiger," Dean informed his younger sibling as he climbed up onto the bed and pulled Sammy close to his side. "You're safe now. I've got you" Dean voiced, as he then began to hum and sing the tune that his mom used to sing to him long ago in times of stress, or when he was sick in hopes that it would calm his distressed sibling.

"_Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better."_

Sighing in relief as he watched Sammy finally respond to the ministrations of his big brother, John couldn't help but be grateful for the strong bond that Dean and Sam shared. For in his mind, it was that bond that was going to pull Sammy through and make both his boys stronger in the end.

Smiling as she watched the tender scene before her, Jules was ecstatic that she wouldn't have to use the sedative she had brought into the room on her young patient. The less drugs he had running through his system right now, the better.

**TBC **


	16. Chapter 16

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 16**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously: **_Sighing in relief as he watched Sammy finally respond to the ministrations of his big brother, John couldn't help but be grateful for the strong bond that Dean and Sam shared. For in his mind, it was that bond that was going to pull Sammy through and make both his boys stronger in the end._

Snuggling into his big brother's side for warmth, Sam grimaced upon feeling his stomach starting to churn. The last thing he wanted right now was to throw up with the way he was feeling. His throat was already feeling sore, from what he didn't know, and he just really wanted to sink back into that realm of unconsciousness where he didn't feel the aches and pains that seemed to encompass most of his body right now.

"Sammy? You feeling okay Little Dude?" Dean questioned with an angst filled voice as he wrapped his arm a little tighter around his younger sibling as he felt Sammy shiver once again.

"Ye-yeah, m'okay" Sam answered as he cradled his tender stomach area with his right arm and tried to smother the moan that was threatening to burst forth from his mouth.

"Now why don't I believe that, son?" John stated with concern as he watched Sammy swallow convulsively, causing the anxious father to reach over and push the nurse call button attached to Sam's bed.

"What can I do for you Mr. Slade? Is there something wrong?" Jules asked as she walked into the room just a moment later.

"Yeah, Sam's feeling a little nauseous right now. Can you bring him something to help quell his stomach?" The worried father of two answered as he watched the young nurse check the readings on Sam's heart monitor while listening to him at the same time.

"Sure, just let me check his chart," Jules answered as she walked over and removed Sam's chart from its hard plastic enclosure that hung on the wall. Scanning the contents for the doctor's orders, she placed it back where it belonged.

"I'll be right back," she informed the small family as she left to get the required medication that had been noted in Sam's chart for nausea.

"You'll feel better in just a moment, Tiger," John voiced softly as he reached out from the chair he was currently sitting in and palmed his baby boy's arm while they waited for Jules to return. He hoped the nurse would come back quickly as Sam was beginning to take on a sickly pallor to his skin.

"Here you go Sam. This should help," Jules informed her young patient, as she walked over to Sam's IV and dispensed some scopolamine, an anti-nausea medication, into the port in Sam's IV.

"Th-thank y…" Sam began to stammer just before bile rushed up his throat and he vomited forcefully all over himself, his brother, and the bed.

"Oh my," Jules gasped, rushing to grasp the emesis basin from the bedside stand as her young patient continued to heave. Placing the small kidney shaped container under Sam's mouth, she held it there to catch the odiferous mess while his elder brother held him upright through the bout of vomiting.

Trying desperately not to puke himself as he supported his heaving brother with one hand, Dean rubbed his other hand in a circular motion on his brother's trembling back knowing how much comfort Sam took in the feeling.

"You finished, Kiddo?" Dean asked once is baby brother slumped back against his chest and let out a small whimper.

"Ye-yeah," Sam replied, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Okay, then let's get you cleaned up," John stated as he reached over and grasped the hem of Sammy's hospital pajama top so that he could remove it before the smell of the nasty mess made them all sick to their stomachs.

"Mr. Slade, you don't have to do that. I'll call for some help," Jules informed the hunter as she was walking to the bathroom to empty the emesis dish and get a wet washcloth to wipe her patient's mouth and face with.

"S'okay, I want to help," John told the nurse as he pulled the soiled shirt completely off, making sure not to get any more of the putrid liquid on his young son's face.

"Well, if you're sure…" Jules allowed, handing over the washcloth to John, before walking over to the small linen closet in the room to grab some clean bedding. She would have to change the linen after giving Sam another antiemetic which would hopefully stop the post-operative nausea and vomiting.

"I'm sure," John voiced before turning to his eldest. "Dean, go get yourself cleaned up while I take care of Sam."

"Yes sir," Dean replied, more than happy to let his father take care of Sam just this one time so he could clean himself up. The smell was really starting to get to him.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Later that afternoon as Sammy napped in his room, John knew it was time to make the phone call he had been dreading for the past couple of days. He was getting more and more nervous about getting on the road. Sure, he knew the city had made arrangements to have Sam's hospital bill taken care of after the two inept officers caused his baby boy's latest setback, but he couldn't help feeling that things weren't over yet, that something would come back to bite them in the ass if they didn't make their escape soon.

Giving Dean's shoulder a light squeeze to get his attention, he whispered, "I'll be right back. Watch out for Sammy."

"Of course Dad, you know I will," Dean replied with a quizzical look, wondering what his Dad was up to since John had a slight frown on his face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to make a phone call," John answered as he scrubbed a calloused hand through his dark hair. "I won't be gone long."

Striding down the tiled hallway that smelled of strong antiseptic, John entered the elevator and then took it down to the first floor and walked out of the building. He really needed some fresh air to deal with what he knew was coming.

Glancing at the people who meandered about the hospital grounds, John strolled around the side of the building to where he could have some privacy. Pulling the cell phone from his pocket, he highlighted a name, hit the send button, and then waited for the man to answer.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Standing in his kitchen as he stood at the old stove and browned some beef for his homemade soup, Bobby grumbled upon hearing the ringing of phone. It never ceased to amaze him how some idjit always managed to call right when he was in the middle of cooking dinner.

Turning the burner heat as low as it could go, he quickly made his way over to the bank of phones hanging on the wall and picked one of them up. "You better have a damned good reason for interrupting my cooking," he grumbled to whoever was on the other end.

"Hi Bobby," the eldest Winchester stated as his foot nervously tapped on the ground. "It's me, John Winchester."

"I know who it is and I told you I never wanted to see or hear from you again," Bobby growled with pure anger before slamming the phone back down on the hook, effectively hanging up on the man he no longer considered a friend.

He and John had had a major falling out the last time the Winchesters were at his house and he had sworn to fill the man's backside with a load of buckshot if he ever saw him again. Heaving in a deep breath, anger filled him once more as he remembered the huge fight between him and John over the way that Winchester was rearing his children. Sure, maybe he had had no right in saying anything, but he couldn't hold his tongue when John returned from a hunt that he had been warned against pursuing, with both boys injured and bleeding.

"Stupid sonuvabitch," Bobby grousedaloud as he started walking back towards the stove only for the phone to start ringing once again.

Clenching his fists in anger, Bobby picked up the phone once again. "Damn you Winchester. I told you…"

"Bobby, please. I…we really need your help," John intoned quickly, interrupting the gruff hunter in hopes that Bobby wouldn't hang up on him again.

"Balls," Bobby swore as he pulled his filthy ball cap off his head and threw it across the floor. There was no way he could turn Winchester away if the boys needed his help. "What the hell did you do this time, ya idjit?"

"Nothing. I swear it wasn't a hunt this time," John answered with an audible hiss.

"But…" Bobby goaded, knowing there was something that John wasn't telling him.

"But Sammy was hurt, badly. It happened at the motel we were staying at a few nights back. We really need a place to stay while he recuperates Bobby. I know you said I wasn't welcome anymore, but…"

"Yeah, well, I guess I can put up with the likes of you for the sake of those boys. Just, uh, just let me know when you're coming" Bobby stated, hoping he was doing the right thing. He loved those boys like his own and he reckoned he could put up with John if it meant the boys were in a safe environment, and at least in doing so, he could make sure Sammy was well taken care of also."

"Thanks Bobby. I really appreciate it" John voiced sincerely.

"Yeah, well I ain't doing it for you," Bobby informed the man gruffly. He didn't want Winchester thinking he was back on his good side by any means.

"Understood," John replied with a sigh. "I'll call you back when we're on our way."

"You do that," Bobby responded curtly and then hung up the phone. He had to finish making dinner and then get a room prepared for the Winchesters arrival.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting outside of the hospital, as he glanced up at the window of the room where he knew John Slade's child resided, Detective Matt Speight sneered as he watched the lights in the room dim. It really ticked him off to know that the father of the young boy was probably getting ready to go to sleep without a care in the world. No, John Slade didn't have to worry since he wasn't going to have to find a way to get by without two weeks due to being suspended without pay.

Giving the room one final look, he swore to make the man pay for making him and his partner look so bad, but for now…now he was going to go to the bar down the street and drink his troubles away. Maybe tomorrow, he would focus on a way to make sure John Slade was put behind bars, exactly where he knew the man belonged.

**TBC.** _Sorry for the wait on this one. We had an electrical storm and my computer, the computer's motherboard, and some other electrical items in my house were 'fried'. I have recently bought a new computer, but lost all of my notes to the stories I was working on since I hadn't backed them up. _


	17. Chapter 17

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 17**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk.

**Previously: **_Giving the room one final look, he swore to make the man pay for making him and his partner look so bad, but for now…now he was going to go to the bar down the street and drink his troubles away. Maybe tomorrow, he would focus on a way to make sure John Slade was put behind bars, exactly where he knew the man belonged._

Finishing up his second beer as he sat at the bar, Detective Matt Speight stood up and walked over to the trash can where he tossed the amber colored bottle carelessly into the bin. He had planned on drinking his troubles away tonight, but no, he had a much better idea. Tonight, he was going to go to the hospital and talk face to face with that arrogant asshole that nearly cost him and his partner their jobs.

Leaving the bar, he quickly climbed into his Ford pickup truck and put it into gear. Pulling out of the parking lot with a squeal of the tires, he drove to the hospital across town and pulled into the closest parking spot he could find.

Slinking his way into the hospital just a few moments later, Matt smiled as he quietly made his way up to thel room where he knew John Slade would be. He couldn't wait to see the man face to face. He so desperately wanted to let Slade know that he was on to him and his wily ways, to let the conceited bastard know that he was not above the law and that he wouldn't rest until John Slade was behind bars.

Knowing that he would need to look inconspicuous once he made it to the upstairs floor where his target was now located, he stopped off by the vending machines and bought a can of Coca Cola and a Hershey chocolate bar with almonds. No one could fault a 'concerned parent' needing the sugar fix to get through the night with their sick or injured child.

Taking the stairs up to the second floor where he knew the Slade child's room to be, he lowered his face and covered it slightly with his hand as he passed by a security camera and pretended to cough slightly. He didn't want it known he was there since he had been specifically warned by his superiors not to bother the small family. But damn it, he was doing the right thing whether Captain Stanley Thomas believed in him or not.

Passing by the nurse's desk, he raised his left arm and tugged his fingers through his hair to shield his face from the young nurse working there should she raise her eyes to look at him. No sense in having any witnesses as to his whereabouts should it eventually come up if there was an inquest later.

Taking a deep breath as he approached the room, he slowly eased the door opened, his mouth falling open in shock at the sight of the room. "What the hell?" he growled as his eyes took in the scene there.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Watching Sammy's face as he slept peacefully, John felt a tingle start at the base of his spine. He didn't know why, but he knew the 'shit was about to hit the fan' and that they needed to get out of there fast. Reaching over to wake Dean, who was sleeping peacefully in the chair as he leaned against Sammy's bed, he said, "Get your brother dressed. We're getting out of here."

Noticing the serious look that encompassed his Dad's persona, Dean didn't question the order. Walking over to the small closet in the room to get Sammy's clothes, he hesitated for only a moment before pulling his sibling's clothing out. Striding back over to the bed, Dean sat about getting Sammy dressed as his father left the room. He didn't have to ask what his old man was up to. He knew that his father would be appropriating the medicines Sammy would need over the next couple of weeks.

Having just put the shoes on his slumbering brother's feet, Dean had just finished tying them when his father walked back into the room, his pockets a lot fuller than when he had left.

"You ready?" John queried as he walked over to the side of Sam's bed and started removing the IV from his young son's hand.

"Yes Sir," Dean replied, carding his fingers through Sam's hair when his brother whined in his sleep as the needle was pulled from his hand. "Shh, s'okay, Tiger."

"Go make sure the coast is clear," John ordered his eldest as he slid a hand under Sam's legs and another under his back and easily hefted his thirteen year old into his arms. Damn, but Sam was small for his age. He wondered if or when the kid would finally hit his growth spurt.

"The nurse just walked down the hall," Dean informed his Dad as he watched the medical professional enter into a room at the far end of the corridor.

"Good, let's blow this popsicle stand," John stated as he eased out the door and quickly walked to the elevator which was only two doors down from Sammy's room. Pushing the button, he was grateful when the door opened immediately, allowing them to step inside

Riding the elevator down to the first floor, John was happy to see their luck holding upon noticing the floor was basically empty and they had a clear path to the exit doors. Swiftly making his way across the floor, John breathed a huge sigh of relief as they exited the building. Now all they had to do was get to the Impala and at least out of the state before finding a mote to restl.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Driving down the interstate, John couldn't help but glance into the backseat every few minutes. He knew Sam was becoming uncomfortable from the moaning he could hear emanating from the back seat and knew he would have to stop soon. It ate at his very soul to know that he was the one who was causing his youngest son's pain right now, but he fully believed they had no other option than to hit the road. Scrubbing the grit from his exhausted eyes with a calloused hand, John winced when a particularly pained whimper was heard coming from the back seat.

"Dean?" He questioned, glancing into the backseat to see the look of concern evident in his eldest child's green eyes.

"He's hurting Dad. We're going to have to stop soon," Dean reported as he rubbed his brother's arm, trying to offer what little comfort he could.

"M'okay, we can keep going," Sam voiced weakly as he squirmed once again, trying to find a position that would be more comfortable and not put so much pressure on his aching stomach. He didn't want to be the reason that they had to stop.

"No Sam, your brother's right. You need a comfortable bed and I need to get a few hours of shuteye myself," John retorted as he started scanning the road signs ahead for an out of the way motel. He didn't want one too close to the interstate. Seeing a sign for the Shadyside Motel, which advertised nothing more than clean rooms, he knew he had found the perfect place.

Taking the off ramp designated by the billboard, John then followed the signs pointing him to the motel which was 4.5 miles down the road to the left.

Pulling the sleek black muscle car into the reception area, he placed the gear in park and turned around to face his boys. "I'll only be a moment," he voiced, reaching back to ruffle Sam's hair lightly.

"Okay, we'll be fine," Dean informed his father as his eyes began to scan the parking lot for any signs of danger. No way was Sammy getting hurt on his watch.

"I know you will," John returned, turning around and pushing open the door. The sooner he went in, the sooner they would have a room for the night.

Returning just a few moments later, John climbed back into the car and then drove the Impala around to the backside of the building. Parking the car in front of room 123, he thrust the door open and climbed out. Taking just a moment to stretch the kinks out of his back, he then turned his attention to his boys.

"Dean, get our duffle bags and the first aid kit out of the back while I get your brother inside," John stated as he knelt down and reached into the car, gently sliding Sam over to the edge of the seat where he could lift him out of the car.

By the time John had Sam safely in his arms, Dean had already unlocked the door and propped it open, before returning to the trunk of the Impala to get their things.

Walking inside, John automatically walked over to the bed furthest from the door and gently lay Sammy down on the bed, the covers having been turned down by Dean while John waited. If there was one unspoken rule in their family, it was that he and Dean would always be Sam's first line of defense.

Okay, let's get some meds in you so you can sleep, Champ," John intoned, brushing a hand through his youngest child's hair before walking over to the small sink counter in the room beside the bathroom. Grasping one of the plastic cups, he removed the protective covering from it and filled it half way full with water.

Carrying the water over to Sam's bedside, he placed it on the small dresser between the two beds in the room and pulled a couple of medicine bottles from his pocket. Removing the lid from the bottle with the codeine in it, he shook one out into his palm and handed the small white pill to his baby boy.

"Take this Sammy," he encouraged as he placed the pill in Sammy's hand.

Raising the pill to his mouth with a shaky hand, Sam was glad when Dean grasped the cup of water and held it to his mouth so he could wash the pill down.

"Th-Thanks De'," he rasped, before sliding down further onto the bed and closing his eyes. He really was tired.

"Dean, go get ready for bed yourself while I take care of salting the windows and door," John voiced, knowing that his eldest had to be worn out also.

"Yes Sir," Dean answered, stripping off his jeans as he walked into the bathroom where he could take care of business and brush his teeth. Returning to the room moments later, he quickly slid in behind Sammy and pulled his baby brother close. He wanted to know if Sam even whimpered in his sleep.

"Night boys," John called out as he turned off the light and stripped out of his jeans also. He would call Bobby in the morning to let the gruff hunter know they were on their way. For now, he just needed to get some sleep himself.

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 18**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk. _

**Previously: **_"Night boys", John called out as he stripped out of his jeans and climbed into bed himself. He would call Bobby in the morning to let the gruff hunter know they were on their way. For now, he really needed to get some sleep himself_.

A few hours later, John awoke to the sound of a hushed voiced coming from behind the closed door of the bathroom. Glancing over toward the bed where his boys were supposed to be sleeping, John immediately became alarmed at finding the bed empty. Thrusting the blankets off of his sinewy body, he quickly strode over to the bathroom door and opened it to find Sammy heaving over the commode as Dean rubbed soothing circles on his back.

"That's it Kiddo, get it all out," Dean voiced sympathetically as he rubbed Sam's back with one hand while supporting his baby brother's head with the other.

He had been awakened from sleep as soon as he felt his brother shift away from him and knew from the way Sam was convulsively swallowing that his brother was about to upchuck what little he had managed to eat throughout the day. Guiding his sibling into the bathroom, he had gently helped Sammy to kneel down and then offered what little support he could to get Sammy through what was sure to be a painful process.

"Dean?" John voiced with concern, having been awoken himself by the sound of retching, as he walked into the small bathroom and grasped a washcloth from the small shelf and placed it under the faucet to get it wet.

"He'll be okay in a few minutes Dad," Dean voiced, reaching out to take the cool damp washcloth from his father and placing it on the nape of Sam's neck. "I think the codeine was a little hard on his tender stomach."

"Damn it. I should have thought about how little he's had to eat today," John swore, upset with himself for putting his baby boy through the heaving process, knowing it had to be hell on his aching stomach.

"S'okay Dad," Sammy voiced once the heaving had stopped and he leaned back in exhaustion against his big brother's chest. "You were just trying to help."

"Yeah, but I should have remembered your penchant for not handling pain medication very well on an empty stomach," John retorted, feeling unworthy of his son's forgiveness. He would make sure he did better the next time.

Knowing that his youngest was most likely in considerable pain from the way he was sitting, John knelt down beside his son and asked, "You feel up to going back to bed or do you feel like you're going to throw up some more?"

"I think I'm fi-finished," Sam stated hesitantly as his stomach gurgled once more before settling, much to his relief. He began to shakily push himself up to a kneeling position before standing when he found himself suddenly hoisted up into his father's strong arms.

"I gotcha, Tiger," John voiced as he picked up his youngest and held him over by the sink so Sam could rinse his mouth with a glass of water provided by Dean before then carrying him back to bed. Placing Sam gently down onto the bed, he palmed his forehead to check for fever and then pulled the top sheet and blanket back up over his youngest. "Try to get some more sleep, Kiddo,"

"'Yes Sir," Sam barely managed to mumble through a yawn as his lethargic eyes slowly began to close. Puking sure was an exhausting process. Within moments, his breathing had evened out and the youngest Winchester was held within the throes of sleep.

"S'okay Dad, I'll watch over him now," Dean voiced as he once again climbed into the bed beside his sibling. "You need to get some sleep also since we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow."

"Okay, but if Sammy gets worse, I want you to wake me. I don't want to take any more chances with his health than we already have." John stated, brushing his hand through Sammy's hair affectionately before bending down to lightly kiss him on the forehead, something his son would probably never have allowed had he been awake.

"Yes Sir," Dean replied, smiling contentedly as he felt his baby brother snuggle into his side. Wrapping an arm around Sam, he made a promise to himself to never let anything ever hurt the kid again.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Pushing himself up in the bed as the first rays of light shone into the room, John took just a moment to watch his slumbering sons before climbing out of the bed and pulling on a pair of clean jeans. He had thought about waking them and hitting the road, but seeing as how they were both sleeping peacefully, he decided to let them sleep just a little while longer while he went out to get breakfast. He knew they both had to still be tired from the impromptu trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night when Sammy had his bout of sickness.

Slipping his feet into his boots after he finished dressing, John grabbed his cell phone and his keys from the bedside stand and then quietly made his way out the door, making sure to close it soundlessly so as not to wake his boys. Walking over to the Impala, he climbed into the midnight black muscle car and sat down without placing the key in the engine.

Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket, John scrolled through the names listed in his phone until finding the one he wanted. Hitting the send button, he waited for the call to be answered.

"_Singer here."_

"Hey Bobby, it's John," the eldest stated as he scrubbed a hand across the five o'clock shadow that now adorned his jaws.

"_Yeah, I kinda guessed that from the sound of your voice, idjit. Something on your mind you wanna tell me or are you just calling to annoy me?"_

"Yeah, just wanted to let you know that me and the boys are headed your way. We should be there around 6:00 this evening if we don't run into any problems," John informed the gruff hunter.

"_What kind of problems?"_ Bobby prodded, knowing there was more that John wasn't telling him.

"We might have a cop tailing us for one," John answered as he picked at a loose thread on the knee of his jeans, causing a hole to appear. He knew how Bobby felt about hunters bringing trouble of the legal variety to his doorstep. Bobby didn't get along too well with the law in his town since they considered him nothing but a troubled drunkard.

"_And?"_

"And we might have to stop again for Sammy. He had a rough night last night. Spent half the night puking his guts up," John voiced with a pang of regret. He couldn't help but feel that it was partly his fault that Sammy was suffering now. If he hadn't had to abscond from the hospital with his youngest, then Sam would still be under a doctor's care and getting the attention he needed.

"_Balls, that's not good"_ Bobby growled as he tugged the dirty old trucker's cap from his head_. _If Sam was puking a lot, that could lead to dehydration or worse._ "Just get here as soon as you can. I'll have Jefferson waiting to take care of the squirt."_

"Thanks Bobby, I owe ya one." John voiced, relief evident in his voice.

"_One my ass. You owe me a hell of a lot more than that and I fully intend to collect one day, ya moron"_ Bobby harrumphed over the phone before cutting the connection by hanging up the phone. He had some calls to make.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Walking back into the motel room with their breakfast in hand approximately an hour later, John was astounded to find his boys awake since it was still relatively early. Dean was known for sleeping in until the last minute when they were on road trips. Hell, there had been a few times when he had threatened to leave his eldest behind if Dean didn't get his ass in gear.

"I'm surprised to see you two awake," John asserted as he tossed the bag with their breakfast in it to Dean.

"Yeah, well the Princess here needed some help making it to the bathroom this morning," Dean announced as he opened the bag and peered inside, sniffing at the delicious aroma wafting up from it.

"What?" John asked in alarm as his eyes shifted to Sammy to visually assess his youngest.

"M'okay Dad, I just felt a little weak when I stood up is all," Sammy quickly explained to alleviate his father's fears.

"I'm not surprised by that seeing as how you haven't been able to keep much in your stomach," John stated as walked over and palmed Sam's forehead once again just to be on the safe side.

"Let's see if we can't change that" Dean articulated as he reached into the bag and pulled out a box containing a ham and veggie omelet according to the writing on top of the box. "Try eating some of this Kiddo."

"I don't know," Sam hedged as he looked at the food with disdain. The last thing he wanted was to start throwing up again this morning.

"You need to try Sammy. The waitress said this should be easy on your stomach," John touted as he opened the box and placed it on his son's lap since Sam was now leaning back in the bed against the headboard.

"'Kay" Sam whispered as he picked up the plastic fork and cut off a small bite. Raising it to his mouth, he chewed it into smaller bits before swallowing it down. Waiting just a moment to make sure it stayed down, he then cut off another piece, and placed it in his mouth, savoring the taste as it enthralled his taste buds. It was so nice to finally eat something other than the bland food that the hospital had been feeding him. He just hoped he would be able to keep the food down this time.

Once they were satisfied that Sam was eating and managing to keep the food down, John and Dean tore into their own breakfast sandwiches to quell the hunger each had started to feel.

Upon finishing breakfast, John made sure to dose Sammy up with some pain medication in hopes that his youngest would fall asleep relatively quickly and remain so for most of the trip to Singer Salvage. The less pain Sam had to go through, the better.

Loading their duffle bags into the trunk of the Impala just a few moments later, John wasn't surprised when he saw Dean climb into the back with his brother instead of taking his usual shotgun position. Dean's protective feelings of his baby brother were in hyperdrive now and would stay that way until Sammy was completely well once again.

**TBC**


	19. Chapter 19

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 19**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk. _

**Previously**_**: **L__oading their duffle bags into the trunk of the Impala just a few moments later, John wasn't surprised when he saw Dean climb into the back with his brother instead of taking his usual shotgun position. Dean's protective feelings of his baby brother were in hyperdrive now and would stay that way until Sammy was completely well once again._

Glancing into the rearview mirror approximately an hour or so later, John wasn't a bit surprised to see his youngest leaning against Dean and slumbering peacefully with Sammy's head resting comfortably against his big brother's shoulder. He knew the pain medicine he had given his young teen before they left would knock his son out and he was grateful that Sam would have a reprieve from the stomach pain if only for a little while.

Focusing his attention back on the road as he drove down the interstate, John once again gazed out his side view mirror to check for any signs that they were being followed. He was pretty certain they had made their getaway good, but there was that tiny sliver of a chance that somehow they had been noticed, and he couldn't chance that stupid assed detective catching him unawares.

"Dad, is something wrong?" Dean questioned with a low voice so as not to wake his slumbering brother. "I mean, you keep looking out the side view mirror like you're expecting someone."

"No, there's no one following us Ace," John replied with a tight smile as he chanced a quick look at Dean before turning his attention back to the road. "I'm just a little paranoid I guess."

"Can't blame you there," Dean informed his Dad knowingly as he shifted gently to ease the strain off his aching butt. "That detective sure seemed to have a grudge against our family for some reason. You think he might follow us or even show up at Bobby's place later on?"

"I don't know, Ace. I sure hope not, but with Winchester luck…" John's voice drifted off leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken.

"Things always seem to come back and bite us in the ass," Dean supplied, caring his fingers through Sammy's hair in a calming motion when his baby brother began to squirm about. The last thing he wanted was for the kid to wake up and be in pain before they made it even halfway to Bobby's place.

"Exactly," John replied with a sigh as he scrubbed a hand across his lower jaw. Damn, but he wished that things were different; that his boys could have had the life they deserved instead of the one they lived now.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Pulling out a clean set of sheets from the hallway closet, Bobby carried them to the room that John's boys would be sleeping in after they arrived and stripped the old bedding off. Sure, the bedding had rarely been used over the past year or so, but he didn't want to chance anything, knowing that the youngest Winchester was still recuperating from a serious knife wound to the gut. No way was he going to be the cause of Sammy getting a serious infection and being hospitalized again just because he had been too damned lazy to change the sheets. He loved the kid too much for that to happen, even if Sammy did have a lame-brained idjit for a father.

Tucking the edge of the sheet under the bed, Bobby wondered if he needed to place a few calls to find out if John Winchester's fears about being followed by the police detective were warranted. Usually, officers of the law weren't allowed to work outside of their own jurisdiction, but that didn't mean the cop wouldn't take things into his own hands. He'd known a cop or two in his own time who refused to leave things alone. Hell, hadn't he had Sheriff Jodie Mills on his own behind for years, blaming him for stuff he hadn't done. Just because he was known as the town drunkard for more years than he cared to admit, didn't mean he was guilty of every damn bad thing that happened in his small little town.

Deciding that he needed to play it safe for the boys' sake, Bobby decided to place a few calls to some friends in high places and cash in the markers owed to him. At least then he would have advanced warning should that detective decide to show his face at Singer Salvage. Sure, he knew Caleb and Joshua were on their way from the calls he made earlier, but a little added insurance never hurt anything.

Thinking about the boys, Bobby couldn't help but smile knowing how much those two always livened up the place when they were around. No way would he admit it aloud, but he had really missed the rugrats being underfoot since he and John had had their falling out a few years back. Of course, he probably couldn't call them rugrats now since Dean was nearing eighteen and Sam had most likely turned thirteen by now.

Shaking his head to free himself of the reverie he was currently entrenched in, Bobby finished the job he was doing and then exited the small bedroom to make his way downstairs again. He needed to go to town to pick up some groceries. Sammy was sure to need some soup if his stomach was still unsettled, and if he remembered correctly, Dean could eat him out of house and home all by himself with the healthy appetite the boy had.

Checking the salt lines to make sure they were still intact and that the sigils and wards hadn't been disturbed, Bobby pulled his keys from the front pocket of his jeans and made his way out the door. Climbing into his two-toned Chevrolet, he hoped and prayed he would make it back before Joshua and Caleb arrived knowing that the two of them would find his good stash of liquor and possibly drink it dry.

**~~Supernatural~~ **

Sitting on the front porch at Bobby's house just a few hours later, Caleb and Joshua supped on their bottles of beer which had been laced with holy water as they chatted with the grizzled older hunter.

"So, what's going on with John and his boys?" Caleb questioned as he glanced towards Bobby with a quizzical look on his face. "All you said over the phone was that John and his boys might require our help."

"Well, I guess the first thing you need to know is that John could be coming in hot with the law on his tail," Bobby answered as he scratched his fingers through the stubble adorning his lower jaw and chin area.

"What the hell has that stupid bastard gone and done this time?" Joshua asked heatedly as he clenched the amber colored bottle of beer in his meaty hand.

Actually, it's not what you're thinking Josh," Bobby voiced as he started to explain what had happened. "John is actually innocent of any wrong doing this time, well except for that temper of his. Turns out little Sammy was hurt pretty badly through no fault of John's and the police ended up getting involved in the situation."

"What happened? Is the kid okay?" Joshua asked with alarm, nearly dropping the bottle of beer from between is fingers as he thought about the youngster who had captured his heart so many years ago.

"He will be given time, but for now, you need to know that the little man was stabbed in the abdomen by some drugged up twit at the sleazebag hotel they had been staying in for the night when John got into an argument with the scumbag and Sammy tried to help his Dad," Bobby answered as best he could. "Turns out the dimwit who did the stabbing got himself killed a few days later and somehow, during the course of the investigation, the nincompoop detective investigating the case got it into his head that John was guilty of the killing even though John was with his boys at the and plenty of witnesses to prove it.

"And now John is on his way here with the boys, and could have that moron of a detective following him, right?" Caleb questioned, leaning forward to scratch Rumsfeld who had just come up onto the porch to sit at the hunter's feet.

"Exactly" Bobby answered before taking a long swig from the long necked bottle of beer in his hand.

"Let him show up. We'll teach him what happens when you mess with one of ours," Joshua voiced strongly as he slammed his bottle down onto the arm of the chair. "Ain't nobody else hurting that kid or his family if I have any say so about it."

"That goes double for me," Caleb replied forcefully as he glanced from Joshua to Bobby and then back again. John could be an ass at times, but he was family as far as they all were concerned and family takes care of their own.

**TBC**. Sorry, I know it's a short chapter, but hopefully you enjoyed it anyway. It's been way too long since I have posted the last so I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

**CC, I know this isn't the story you were hoping for on your special day tomorrow, but I hope this chapter makes up for it if even in the tiniest of ways.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 20**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk. _

**Previously**_**: **__"Let him show up. We'll teach him what happens when you mess with one of ours," Joshua voiced strongly as he slammed his bottle down onto the arm of the chair. "Ain't nobody else hurting that kid or his family if I have any say so about it."_

"_That goes double for me," Caleb replied forcefully as he glanced from Joshua to Bobby and then back again. John could be an ass at times, but he was family as far as they all were concerned and family takes care of their own. _

Driving down the interstate at a leisurely place, Detective Matt Speight couldn't wait to meet up with John Slade and his family. He was more convinced now than ever that the man was guilty of a heinous crime. Why else would he sneak his youngest son out of the hospital in the middle of the night and escape to parts unknown? Luckily for him, he had friends who helped him trace down the whereabouts of the villain and he was now hot on the trail and would soon have the scoundrel within his sights.

Sure, he knew the father of two was innocent of the murder that he thought him guilty of, but he just didn't care. He knew a criminal when he saw one and John Slade was a nefarious lowlife if ever he saw one. He should be rewarded for hunting the man down and making sure he got those two boys away from him before they followed in their father's footsteps. He knew that it may be already too late for the oldest son, but hopefully getting him away from the father would steer him in the right direction once again.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he almost missed the ringing of his telephone. Pulling the cell phone from his right front pocket, he flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"Speight here," he stated, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"Matty, just what the hell do you think you are doing?" Detective Jason Marks questioned angrily through the phone line.

"Huh, what the hell are you going on about Jason? I have no idea what you're talking about," Matt stated, wondering why his partner was yelling at him over the phone.

"I was just informed that you have requested a two week leave of absence. Please tell me that you aren't still hung up on going after John Slade." Jason pleaded of his long-time friend. He knew Matt could be very impetuous at times, but he sure hoped this wasn't one of those times.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Matt quipped with a smirk.

"Damn it Matt, are you trying to throw away your career? You heard what Captain Thomas said about badgering the Slade family. He'll have your shield if he hears about this." Jason seethed, upset that his partner could do something so stupid.

"Yeah, well, then let's just hope he doesn't hear anything," Matt retorted, swiping a sweaty palm across his face. He didn't even want to contemplate losing the job he loved so much, but he just couldn't let this case slide.

"You know he won't hear anything from me, man. But you're on your own here. I have a family to take care of and I won't cover things up for you if you get caught," Jason stated with an angst filled voice.

"Fair enough," Matt replied, knowing his partner was basically between a rock and a hard place if things went south on him. "I wouldn't want you to put your own career in jeopardy by covering up for me. I take full responsibility for what happens."

"Just take care of yourself Matty. I don't want to lose my partner," Jason voiced with a sigh.

"I will. Catch ya later," Matt stated to end the conversation.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Glancing down the long driveway as the familiar rumble of the Impala could be heard making its way towards the house, Bobby, Joshua, and Caleb pushed themselves to their feet as they wait to lay eyes on the small family that meant so much to all of them. For the three grizzled hunters, it had been over two years since they had seen the boys due to the falling out John had had with each of them at one time or another and they couldn't wait to see how much the boys had grown. Damn John and his tenacity for holding grudges.

Taking a deep breath as the Impala parked just short of the front porch, Joshua became concerned upon peering into the car and seeing only two occupants. He knew Bobby had said Sammy was injured, and now he shuddered to think just how badly the youngest Winchester could be hurt. Chewing on his bottom lip as Dean exited the car and immediately opened the back door, Joshua gasped at seeing how weak Sammy looked as the youngster exited the classic muscle car with the support of his older brother just moments later. It was more than obvious to him that the thirteen year old was in considerable pain and it nearly broke his hardened hunter's heart.

"Damn," he hissed as he made his way down the front porch steps and swiftly strode over to the two boys and hefted the youngest into his arms.

"Hey Tiger, thought you might enjoy a little ride inside the house,' he voiced with a smile as he cradled a surprised Sam to his chest.

"I…I can walk, Josh," Sammy stated, a slight shade of pink encompassing his cheeks at being carried like a baby. "I'm not an in-invalid."

"I know you aren't kiddo," Josh returned, refusing to put the injured boy down as he carried him up the stairs and inside the house. "But how about letting an old man help out anyway?"

"You're not old, Josh," Sammy refuted as the bear of a hunter gently lay him down on the couch while Dean and the others walked inside not far behind them.

"Don't listen to Sammy, Josh. The kid is stoned on pain medicines. Of course, you're getting old," Dean wisecracked as he grabbed the small afghan off of the back of Bobby's chair and placed it over his younger sibling to keep him warm.

"Smartass," Joshua rejoined, as he cuffed Dean around the back of the head.

"Hey, easy on the merchandise, you old goat," Dean said indignantly as he reached out to pump the hunter's hand. "Been a long time Dude."

"Yeah it has," Josh agreed, shooting a glare at John as he said so.

"Too long," Bobby agreed as he shot John a look of his own. "But let's not talk about that right now. We can hash things out between us later. Right now I want to know what we can do to make things easier on Sammy and the both of you."

"You're doing it already," John replied in answer as he watched his youngest slip off to sleep, feeling safe and secure for the first time in days.

"So how is he doing really?" Caleb queried, kneeling down beside the youngest hunter in the room and brushing a hand through the teen's chestnut colored hair.

"He's basically doing fine. The doc said it's going to take a while for his gut to heal from the effects of the stabbing, but that he'll get back to one hundred percent given time," John answered.

"Yeah, well I'll feel better once I hear that from Jefferson," Bobby intoned as he pulled the dirty old trucker's cap from his head and gave his head a scratch. "He should be here in a few later this evening after he finishes his shift at the clinic."

"Bobby, you didn't have to…"

"Shut up idjit before I do more than just threaten to fill your backside with buckshot," Bobby groused as he glared at John. Sammy needed medical attention now that he was here whether John liked it or not.

"Hey Bobby, you got anything here to drink?" Dean inquired to break the tension that was building in the room. "My throat's feeling kinda dry after that long ride."

"Sure Ace, there's some soda in the fridge," Bobby answered allowing Dean to change the subject

"I was thinking more along the lines of a cold beer," Dean grumbled, placing his hands on his hips.

"You turn 18 while I wasn't looking boy?" Bobby questioned knowing that the legal drinking age in south Dakota was 21, but that an 18 year old could consume alcohol in the presence of a parent as long as it wasn't too much.

"No sir, but…"

"No buts about it boy, its soda or nothing," Bobby declared authoritatively.

"Tyrant," Dean grumbled under his breath as he made his way towards the kitchen.

"I heard that," Bobby stated with a warning tone in his voice. Yeah, he could have let the seventeen year old have a bottle of beer, but he also knew Dean needed to be at the top of his game while taking care of Sammy, something that the seventeen year old would insist on doing at all times.

Following Dean into the kitchen, he was going to grab a beer for himself and the others when he was interrupted from doing so by the ringing of a phone.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting innocuously in the back corner of a roadside diner, Steve Wondell couldn't help but take note of the cop sitting at the front. The guy oozed law enforcement and from the gleam in his eye, he could tell the man was out to get someone with a vengeance. Grasping his nearly empty coffee cup, he strode up front and leaned against the end of the counter as he waited for the waitress to come fill it up in hopes of hearing some of the conversation going on between the lawman and the waitress.

"So, how did you say I get to this Singer Salvage Yard again?" Detective Matt Speight asked of the waitress as she leaned over and placed a triple cheeseburger and fries down in front of him.

"Its ' easy, just follow the highway until you get to mile marker twenty-seven. Just past there, you will take a paved road to the right and go approximately another seven miles or so. From there, you just follow the road signs," the waitress answered with a smile as she stuck out her ample breasts in front of the handsome detective. "Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked seductively.

"Maybe later, sweetheart," Matt stated with a wink of his own as he picked the top bun up off the burger and doused it with ketchup first and then some mustard.

"Well, just holler if you need anything," the waitress stated before walking over to where Steve stood, his cup raised in the air to motion for a refill.

Placing the cup down on the formica counter top after it was refilled," Steve excused himself to the bathroom so he could make a phone call.

Flipping open his cell phone once he was sure the bathroom was empty, Steve scrolled through the list of names until Bobby Singer's was highlighted on the dial, pressed the send button and then waited from the hunter to answer.

"_Singer here,"_ Bobby voiced as he picked up one of the phones that hung along his kitchen wall.

"Bobby, its Steve Wondell. I'm at Betty Lou's Roadside Diner and I thought you might like to know that there's a bluecoat here asking for directions to your place."

"_Thanks for the head's up Steve. I owe you one,"_ Bobby stated as he gave Dean an anxious look.

"Nah man, we hunters gotta look out for our own," Steve informed the man whom most hunters considered to be the hunters voice of authority before hanging up the phone. He could only hope his warning would be of some use. Of course, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble Singer had gotten himself into.

**TBC **


	21. Chapter 21

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 21**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: **To avoid confusion between stories, this story is the one where Sam is 13 years old and was stabbed outside their motel room by a man who was drunk. _

**Previously: **_Following Dean into the kitchen, Bobby was going to grab a beer for himself and the others when he was interrupted from doing so by the ringing of a phone._

"Singer here," Bobby voiced as he picked up one of the phones that hung along his kitchen wall.

"_Bobby, its Steve Wondell_. _I'm at Betty Lou's Roadside Diner and I thought you might like to know that there's a bluecoat here asking for directions to your place."_

"Thanks for the head's up Steve. I owe you one," Bobby stated as he gave Dean an anxious look.

"Bobby?" Dean questioned apprehensively, as he took in the angst filled face of the man who was like an uncle to him and Sam.

"Trouble's coming," Bobby answered succinctly as he hung up the phone and started making his way towards the living room where the rest of the hunters watched over Sammy.

Entering the room with a look of determination on his face, Bobby called out, "Caleb, Joshua, it's time."

"Time for what?" John asked inquisitively as he watched Caleb and Joshua exit the room in a hurry.

"Just a little shuck and jive," Bobby answered with a fake southern drawl, looking forward to the upcoming showdown. Sure, he was somewhat nervous about whether or not he and the others could pull it off, but with a little luck, they would have that detective shaking in his boots by the time they were through with him.

"Bobby?" John growled, reaching out to card a hand through Sammy's hair when his youngest began to squirm about and moan as he unconsciously picked up on the tension in the room. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was being kept in the dark about things.

"Quit yer bellyaching, ya idgit," Bobby groused with a roll of his eyes. "While you and the boys were on the way here, Josh, Caleb, and I devised a way to handle the situation with the detective that would keep any of us from doing jail time or getting blood on our hands where the law is concerned."

"Yeah, and what would that be?" John asked wondering just what the others had up their sleeves.

"How do you feel about being in the Federal Witness Protection Program?" Bobby responded with a smug smile.

"Wait…what?" Dean questioned upon walking into the room to catch the end of the conversation going on between John and Bobby.

"You and your family have just become federally protected witnesses," Caleb announced to the shocked young hunter as he himself walked into the room dressed in civilian attire, a glock 22 resting in a shoulder holster at his side, and a Federal Marshal's badge adorning his chest.

"Yeah, and what is it we were supposed to have witnessed?" Dean queried with a smirk as he walked over and sat down beside his baby brother who was beginning to awaken.

"A demon and a wendigo making out in the middle of the street," Caleb snorted in return as he winked at the younger hunter.

"Wh-what's Caleb talkin' about?" Sammy asked a little incoherently as he tried to sit up, his stomach muscles grumbling in protest at the movement.

"Nothing kiddo, he's just being his usual idiot self," Dean answered as he helped Sammy into a sitting position. "You ready to go upstairs and lay down?"

"Gotta pee first," Sam replied with a small grin.

"TMI there, little Dude," Dean quipped as he helped Sam get to his feet.

"Says the teen that lost his virginity at almost the same age as Sammy there," Joshua returned as he came down the stairs, dressed in relatively the same manner as Caleb.

"Didn't know you were keeping up with my extracurricular activities there Joshua," Dean voiced jovially.

"Dean, Josh, that's enough of that kind of talk, especially around Sammy," John warned as he glared at the two reproachfully. Sure he knew his youngest was thirteen, but he didn't want to even think about Sammy having sex anytime soon.

"Sorry Sir," Dean apologized as he started leading his brother up the stairs to the bathroom on the second floor.

"And Dean…"

"I know, take care of Sammy. Yes Sir, you know I will." Dean stated as he slowly traversed up the stairs, making sure to keep a firm arm around his baby brother. He hated that he was being relegated away from the action, but Sammy came first and he understood that.

Watching his children make their up the stairs, John took a deep breath knowing that the 'crap would soon hit the fan' and he just hoped he and the other hunters would come out on the winning end, because there was no way he was going to allow himself to be arrested and taken away from the only two things that mattered in his life…his boys.

"Okay, everyone into position. John, you come with me." Bobby called out as he pulled on one of his old oil stained ball caps and made his way outside. They had to make things look normal if they were going to pull this off.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Driving under the overhead sign that announced he had arrived at Singer Salvage Yard, Detective Matt Speight couldn't help but cringe at how disgusting the place looked with all of the rusted old cars lining the yard as he drove down the long and winding driveway. He couldn't understand why someone would want such nasty looking filth around them, much less want to make a business out of salvaging the old crap within the hollowed shells. To him, it looked more like an eyesore than a place of business and he'd be sure to say something to the owner about that if he could remember to.

Nearing the house at the end of the drive, the detective couldn't help but smirk as he noticed his prey sitting on the porch and reading a newspaper as if he hadn't a care in the world, while some other person could be seen working under the hood of a two tone Chevy. That would change soon. Glancing about to be sure of his surroundings, he could also make out two other people on the far side of the lot, but it was hard to tell what they were doing since they were halfway hidden by a couple of old junked cars with the windows busted out. He assumed they were most likely customers looking for a needed part and wished them 'good luck' in finding what they needed

Reaching down with his right hand as he stomped on the brake and placed the gear in park, he placed a hand on the pistol hidden beneath his jacket and then grasped the door handle to push it open. It was time to finally make that poor excuse of a father John Slade pay for his crimes. Stepping out of the car and closing the door, he found his heart in his throat as he suddenly found himself staring down the long barrel of a colt revolver, courtesy of one Bobby Singer.

"Hey, you need to calm down mister," Detective Speight stated as he raised his hands in the air to show he meant no harm. "I'm an officer of the law. If you'll just lower that revolver, I'll reach into my side pocket to…"

"Hold it right there, asshole," Caleb spewed with venom as he quickly approached to offer Bobby back up, Joshua close on his heels.

"Now listen for a damn minute," Matt angrily voiced as he stared down the two approaching men, firearms held firmly within their grasps. "I am not the criminal here. I am an officer of the law and I'm here to arrest that man sitting over there on the front porch."

"You'll arrest him over my dead body," Caleb swore as he raised his glock 22 and pointed it dead center of the lawman's heart.

"Now let's calm down here just a minute," Joshua stated, undertaking his portrayal of the sensible Federal Marshal to Caleb's hotheaded one. "You need to let the man prove who he is and speak his mind."

Pulling out his badge from his side pocket, Matt showed his detective's shield and then explained that he was there to arrest the smug bastard who was now approaching them.

"And what is John Slade supposed to have done?" Joshua questioned, placing his pistol into its holder since both Bobby and Caleb had the detective firmly in their sights.

"He is under suspicion of murder and I'm sure he has quite a few other crimes under his belt," Matt stated with authority as he pulled the handcuffs from his belt, noticing the older son looking down on them from the window above.

"You said suspicion of murder. That doesn't mean he is guilty of anything," Bobby informed the detective with authority as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Listen; just who the hell do you think you people are? I should arrest you for interfering with an officer of the law," Matt threatened through gritted teeth.

"I'll tell you who the hell we are. We're Federal Marshals in the Witness Protection Program," Caleb announced as he thrust a finger into the haughty detective's chest. "And that man is under our protection as is his family and I'll be damned if you think you can just waltz in here and take him away."

"Yeah, well, he is wanted for murder damn it and I'm going to…"

"You're going to what?" Caleb questioned angrily as he grabbed the surprised detective by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him within inches of his own angry face.

"Agent Wilson, you need to calm the hell down right now," Joshua voiced, though secretly he was elated to see Caleb really losing his temper. "We've got to handle this situation calmly, like professionals.

"No, I'm tired of stupid assed detectives like this man coming in and ruining a case we've had in the works for a while. It has cost us too many witnesses and I'm going to teach him a lesson he will never forget," Caleb affirmed as he pulled back a fist.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Dean, what's goin' on?" Sam inquired from his bed as he watched his big brother staring out the window. He had heard a car pull in moments earlier and could see the way Dean had tensed up as time progressed over the last few minutes.

"It's okay kiddo, don't worry," Dean stated as he forced himself to walk away from the window and walked over to sit at his brothers' bedside. He didn't want Sammy worrying about anything since the kid had started running a low grade fever and Jefferson had yet to arrive. He wondered what the hell was keeping the burly doctor so long.

"Dean, please? I need to kn-know. Is Dad okay?" Sam pleaded as his eyes misted with tears. He couldn't understand why he was becoming so emotional.

"Hey, don't get yourself so upset Princess. Dad is fine. I promise," Dean enthused as he brushed a hand though his sibling's chestnut colored hair. "Caleb, Bobby and Joshua will make sure nothing happens to him."

"But…"

"No buts about it. You just relax and get some sleep," Dean voiced softly as Sammy slowly calmed under his ministrations. He really wanted to see what was going on, but Sammy was more important.

**TBC. So just what will Caleb do to the detective? **


	22. Chapter 22

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 22**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I had some family issues to deal with Hope you enjoy it. **_

**Previously: **_"Agent Wilson, you need to calm the hell down right now," Joshua voiced, though secretly he was elated to see Caleb really losing his temper. "We've got to handle this situation calmly, like professionals._

"No, I'm tired of stupid assed detectives like this man coming in and ruining a case we've had in the works for a while. It has cost us too many witnesses and I'm going to teach him a lesson he will never forget," Caleb affirmed as he pulled back a fist and let it fly forward hitting the detective squarely on the nose.

"Sonuvabitch, I t'ink you broke by nose," Detective Matt Speight gritted through clenched teeth as he crumpled to the ground while his hands flew to his face to cradle the injured and bleeding appendage.

"Damn it Cal, I told you to cool it," Joshua reiterated as he pushed himself between Caleb and the injured cop who was squeezing his nostrils together to try and stem the blood that was now flowing from them.

"That bastard got what he deserved," Caleb yelled back as he tried to get at the detective once again. "It's idiots like him who cost us too many lives in our business and damn it, it's time they learned their lesson."

"Alright you two, that's enough of the arguing," Bobby voiced with an air of authority as he glared at the two supposed federal agents. "As field agent in charge, I'll make a phone call to this blockhead's superior officer and we'll get this all straightened out before anything more happens."

"Wh-what, but you t'ant do dat," Detective Matt Speight whined as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away the blood from his injured and possibly broken nose. He knew he could lose his job if word got back to Captain Stan Thomas about where he was and what he was doing.

"Watch me son," Bobby voiced smugly as he pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his shirt. "Anybody know the number to the station where this imbecile works?"

"No, but I can damn well beat it out of him for ya!" Caleb stated strongly as he tugged the sleeves of his shirt back, readying himself for another round with the obnoxious detective. Damn, but he was enjoying playing the part of a badass agent.

"But, but…if you call, I'll lose by job," Matt voiced brokenly as his head slumped towards his chest. "I hab no ibea that Mr. Slade was in the Witness Protection Program. Please?"

"Well, guess we should leave it up to John here whether or not he should pay," Joshua surmised as he swiped a hand thoughtfully along his lower jaw. "After all, he and his family were the ones who were hounded by this man for no good reason."

"True, what do you think Mr. Slade? Would you…" Bobby started before being interrupted by Caleb."

"Aww come on, give me just one more minute with this cretin. I'll make sure he never bothers another innocent family again."

"That's enough Agent Wilson. One more word out of you and I'll have you demoted and back behind a desk faster than you can say Rumplestiltskin," Bobby threatened, fighting to keep a wayward smile off of his face.

"Yes Sir," Caleb sighed, with a slump of his shoulders.

"Now, as I was saying. Mr. Slade, I'll let you decide. Do you want me to call his commanding officer, or…." Bobby voiced, leaving the field of options open.

"If the bastard promises to leave me and my boys alone, then I guess he has paid enough with receiving the broken nose," John said after giving it a moment's thought.

"Then I'll abide by your wishes," Bobby stated as he looked at John, before turning back to face the detective and speaking. "But I'm warning you now, if you ever bother this man or his sons again, I will make sure you never work in the area of law enforcement again. Do you understand me?"

'Yes Sir, I …I uberstand," Matt voiced as he gingerly pushed himself up from the ground and backed away from the group of tough looking agents. "You…you'll neber see or hear from be again."

"We better not, because if we do…" Caleb left the threat unspoken as he grabbed the officer by the lapels and shoved him towards his vehicle.

Watching as the detective quickly climbed into his car and sped away, the hunters couldn't help but slap each other on the backs for a job well done.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Dean, why isn't Dad up here yet?" Sam questioned with a yawn as he lay in the bed, fighting to keep from going to sleep with the way that Dean was softly lulling him towards slumber by carding fingers through his hair.

"He's busy Sam. He'll be here soon," Dean answered softly as he continued the soothing motion of stroking his fingers through Sam's chestnut colored hair. He was a little worried himself about what was going on, but wasn't about to let his sibling know that.

Smiling as his baby brother's breathing evened out indicating slumber had taken hold just moments later, Dean was surprised to then see the door open and his father walk into the room. Placing a finger to his lips, he eased himself off the bed and away from Sam so he could talk to his father.

"What happened outside?' Dean queried after following his father into the hallway and pulling the door partially closed behind him.

"Bobby and the others took care of things. That detective won't be bothering us again," John answered without filling in all the details. "How's Sammy?"

"He's sleeping now, but he still has a low grade fever," Dean answered worriedly as he looked at his watch. "What is taking Jefferson so damn long to get here?"

"I can answer that one for ya," Bobby supplied as he topped the stairs and walked down the short hallway. "He managed to get himself a flat tire on the way over and didn't have a spare. He had to call for some help. He should be here in just a few minutes."

"S'good," John stated as he peaked through to door to gaze at his sleeping child. He couldn't help but be worried that Winchester luck was somehow going to bite them in the ass with this fever his youngest was sporting.

"So, is somebody going to tell me what happened outside or not?" Dean asked as he watched Joshua and Caleb top the stairs also.

"Nothing much, just had me a little fun is all, Ace," Caleb stated in answer as he rubbed his bruised knuckles.

"Damn it, why do I always miss out on all the fun," Dean complained as he took in the satisfied smirk on Caleb's face, knowing the man had got in a few hits that he would have liked to administer himself.

"Because you just ain't got what it takes like I do," Caleb bragged, strutting around like a proud peacock.

"Got it my ass," Joshua retorted with a snort. "You just got in a lucky hit is all."

"Hey, I put that idiot on his ass in one hit," Caleb reposted indignantly.

"Yeah, yeah, but only because the detective was a pantywaist," John voiced, joining in on the fun.

"Jeez, you guys have no respect," Caleb pouted as he made his way to where John and Dean were now standing. "How's the Runt doing?"

"He's still running a low grade fever," John answered, concern evident in his voice.

"Let's see what I can do about that," Jefferson, voiced as he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, having arrived at Singer Salvage just seconds earlier.

Following John and the others into the room that the Winchester boys shared, Jefferson smiled at the sight of the sleeping youngster who was curled up in a fetal position, his left hand resting under his cheek, and it brought back to mind the times he had tended to a toddling Sammy.

Walking over and placing his doctor's bag on the small dresser between the beds in the room, he sat down gently on the edge of the bed and palmed Sammy's forehead, taking note of the slight flush to his cheeks.

Feeling the shift of the bed he was sleeping on, Sammy groggily opened his eyes to find the burly doctor sitting next to him.

"Hey they sport, how are you feeling?" Jefferson questioned as he reached down and grasped Sam's wrist between his fingers so he could check his pulse.

"M'okay," Sam answered, his eyes nervously darting up to meet Dean's. He didn't like being the center of the doctor's attention.

"If it's okay with you, I'll be the judge of that," Jefferson informed the youngster as he pulled a thermometer and his stethoscope from his bag.

"Yes Sir," Sam answered sedately, his gaze once again straying to Dean, who gave him a quick smile of reassurance.

"That's my boy," Jefferson enthused as he placed the ends of the stethoscope into his hears before lifting Sammy's shirt to listen to his heart and check his incision which he did quickly and efficiently.

"Everything seems fine, so far. There's no rigidity, tenderness, or redness around the incision," Jefferson informed the young teen, before pulling an otoscope from his bag and checking Sam's ears.

"Hmm, I think we might have found the problem. There is some redness and swelling going on in here," Jefferson stated for everyone to hear as he checked first the right and then the left ear.

Pulling a tongue depressor from his bag and removing the sterile wrapping he said, "Open up Kiddo, I'd like to check your throat also."

"Jefferson?" Dean queried impatiently as he shuffled from foot to foot while the doctor took a good long look inside Sam's mouth.

"Sam definitely has slight ear infection and is on the brink of developing tonsillitis. I'm going to start him on some antibiotics and it should knock out the infections before they can really take hold," Jefferson informed the worried group of hunters.

"Sounds good,' John voiced with a sigh of relief as he reached down to card his fingers through Sammy's hair.

"Now, if the rest of you don't mind, I'll need some privacy to give Sammy his injection," Jefferson told the others as he pulled a vial of antibiotics from his bag.

"I'm not leaving," Dean informed the doctor as he sat down on the bed and squeezed Sam's knee in comfort when he noticed his brother was becoming agitated at the thought of having to endure yet another needle injection.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Jefferson stated with a smile. He knew how protective Dean was of his younger sibling. Waiting for the others to leave, Jefferson motioned for Sammy to roll over on his side.

"Okay Champ, you're going to feel a small sting and then a slight burning sensation," Jefferson informed Sam has he tugged down the edge of Sammy's sweats and then swabbed his derriere with a cleansing wipe.

"Ow, ow, ow," Sam whined as the antibiotic was then injected into his upper behind.

"Shhh, s'okay Sammy, I'm here," Dean voiced as he rubbed Sam's arm in comfort while Jefferson tugged the boy's sweats back into place.

"That injection should help him to get a good night of sleep," Jefferson informed Dean before packing up his bag and preparing to leave the room, knowing that Dean would keep a watchful eye on his younger brother. "I'll be downstairs if he needs me.'

"Thanks Jefferson," Dean whispered as he watched his baby brother's eyes droop in medicated exhaustion. He would be on duty until Sammy was feeling better once again

TBC. I hope this chapter met up to your expectations.


	23. Chapter 23

**A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 23**

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Author's Note:** Thank you to all those who reviewed that I have missed replying to for the last chapter. As some of you know, things with my family are pretty rough at the moment, but we are surviving day by day.

**Previously: **_"Thanks Jefferson," Dean whispered as he watched his baby brother's eyes droop in medicated exhaustion. He would be on duty until Sammy was feeling better once again._

Making his way down the stairs and into the kitchen area where Bobby, John, and the other hunters were sitting, Jefferson suddenly found himself the center of attention as he strolled over to the formica countertop where thankfully, Bobby had a fresh pot of hot coffee brewing.

"Well?" John growled impatiently, as he watched the burly doctor reach over and grab a ceramic coffee cup from the dish drainer where it had been placed earlier to dry.

"You can relax John, Sam is fine and resting comfortably under the watchful eyes of his big brother," Jefferson replied with a weary smile as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. It had been a long evening and he was in desperate need of a strong jolt of caffeine.

"So Sammy's going to be okay then, no long lasting repercussions from the trip or anything?" John queried as he tugged the fingers of his right hand through his disheveled dark hair.

"Other than maybe a little stiffness tomorrow, the Tiger will be just fine," Jefferson informed the worried father, with just a hint of irritation in his voice. He couldn't blame John for wanting to be totally sure after everything Sammy had been through over the past couple of weeks.

"That's good to hear Doc," Joshua voiced as he leaned back in his chair, a smile adorning his rugged suntanned face. Sammy had captured his heart eleven years ago at the tender age of two, and he couldn't bear the thought of the child he loved so much hurting and in pain, much less lost to them all.

"Sure is," Caleb voiced in agreement before slurping down the last bit of coffee he had in his cup from the coffee that had been brewed earlier while they all waited for Jefferson to come down the stairs after having taken care of Sam. "You need me to run into town and pick up anything for the runt to make his recovery time easier?"

"Nah, I've got a few sample packets of Keflex in my bag and they should be enough to get Sammy over this ear infection and bout of tonsillitis he has going on," Jefferson answered as he poured himself a cup of the coffee that had just finished percolating. "Of course, the kid would probably enjoy some ice cream to help soothe his throat over the next day or two."

"No worries, I've got that covered," Bobby stated, squirming a little as all eyes turned to him. "What, you idjits think I don't know how to take care of a sick kid or something?"

"No man, it's just that I never pictured you as the nursemaid type," Caleb responded jovially, dodging the grungy ball cap that Bobby threw at him across the table.

"Keep it up moron and you'll be the one who needs a nursemaid," Bobby groused lightheartedly as the others began to laugh, reveling in the cheerful moment after a tense afternoon.

Shaking his head in exasperation at Caleb's shenanigans, John turned his attention back to Jefferson. "So how long do you think it will be before Sammy's ready to travel?"

"His incision is definitely healing, but his abdominal area is still pretty tender, so I'd say he needs at least two to three more weeks of convalescence time," Jefferson answered after pondering the question thoughtfully.

"In that case, Bobby, do you mind having me and the boys around for a few weeks?" John asked as he turned his attention to the grizzled hunter who sat opposite of him. He was running low on funds and didn't envy having to stay in a fleabag motel with Sammy having been so sick recently.

"If you really thought you needed to ask that question of me, then you are a bigger idjit than I thought," Bobby grumbled at John in exasperation as he looked at the younger hunter. Surely John knew by now how much he loved those boys. Yeah, John could be a pain in the ass at times, most times if truth be told, but he was something he was willing to put up with for the sake of John's boys and having them visit.

"Gee thanks," John grumbled lightly, just as an idea popped into his head. "Hey Bobby, would mind it too much if I go into town and blow off a little steam. It's been a long few weeks, and I really need to have a little fun, maybe line my wallet while I'm at it."

"S'fine with me. Just so you know if you get yourself in trouble with the law, I ain't bailing you out," Bobby informed the hunter, not in the least surprised when Caleb and Joshua pushed their chairs back also.

**Early the Next Morning**

Sitting by his brother's bedside as he waited for his younger sibling to awaken, Dean thought about the things he wanted to say to Sammy to make up for his not being there when the kid had been hurt. Sure he knew Sammy didn't blame him for what happen, but he couldn't forgive himself for not being there for the kid. Sammy's safety had always been his top priority in life, but the one time Sammy needed him, he wasn't there and that one thought still hurt him to his very soul. Of course, he had heard the argument from his Dad that there was no way he could have known what would happen, but if he hadn't been so eager to get into Mandy Sue's pants, then maybe he would have felt that things were off somehow and been more alert.

So deep was he in thought that Dean missed his brother rousing.

"Dean, you okay?" Sammy questioned as he pushed himself up in the bed with a slight wince.

"Yeah, I'm fine Kiddo. Why do you ask?" Dean replied, as he reached out to brush Sammy's chestnut colored bangs away from his eyes. "You really need to get a haircut you know."

Snorting his displeasure at the remark, Sam voiced his earlier worry. "You were miles away just now."

"I was just thinking Dude," Dean started to say as he turned his full attention to Sam. "I need to…"

"Don't even go there Dean," Sam interrupted; knowing exactly what was on Dean's mind from the guilty expression his brother was exhibiting at the moment.

"But Sammy, if I had only…"

"No buts Dean. How many times do I have to say what happened was not your fault and there is nothing you could have done to prevent it from happening? Dad doesn't blame you, and I certainly don't, so I want you to stop blaming yourself," Sam implored of his brother as he tried to get him to forgive himself.

"Whether you believe it or not, you can't be there for every moment of my life. You have a right to live _your own life_ and I want you to be able to go out and have fun without having to worry about me," Sam told his brother as he reached out and placed a hand on Dean's arm. "Even if that means going out with yucky girls."

"You know, you're going to eat those words one day," Dean informed his brother with a laugh.

"No I won't. And quit changing the subject. I want you to promise me that you will forgive yourself Dean," Sam pleaded, using the puppy dog expression that nearly always got him his way. "Please?"

"I'll make you a deal. I promise to try," Dean agreed, smiling as his brother's stomach chose that moment to rumble rather loudly.

"It looks like somebody is pretty hungry since he missed supper last night. Why don't we go downstairs and see what Bobby's cooking for breakfast," Dean prodded, helping his brother up from the bed, before walking over to the small dresser in the corner of the room where he grabbed one of the antibiotic packets Jefferson had placed there for use last night so that he could give him one of the small capsules if Sam should happen to awaken during the night.

"'Kay," Sam agreed, knowing that was the best thing he could hope for at the time, that Dean would at least try to forgive himself.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Standing in front of the stove as he poured some chocolate chip pancake batter into the skillet, Bobby couldn't help but smile as he heard the patter of feet walking across the floor upstairs. Sam had always been an early riser and he had made it a point to be up early this morning so he could fix the kid's favorite breakfast.

"Morning boys, hope you're hungry," Bobby called out as Dean and Sam walked into the kitchen just a moment later.

"You bet we are," Dean voiced with a grin as he reached out to snatch a piece of bacon off of the plate on the table while Bobby fried the flapjacks.

"Uncle Bobby, where is everybody?" Sam questioned softly as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

"Your Dad and the others went into town last night and came back drunk as hell. They'll be sleeping off some hangovers this morning," Bobby answered as he placed the last of the pancakes on a plate and then carried them over to the table and sat them down beside the bacon he had fried earlier.

"Help yourselves boys," Bobby stated as he made his way over to the refrigerator to grab a jug of milk since he knew how much Sammy liked the drink with his pancakes.

"Thanks Uncle Bobby, you're the best," Sam avowed as he used his fork to get three of the flapjacks and place them onto his plate.

"'Course I am," Bobby agree with a smirk as he sat down to eat himself. Grabbing some pancakes of his own, Bobby knew he was also the luckiest man in the world since he had his two most favorite people in the world sitting at the table right there with him. What could be better?

**THE END** _Thank you so much for sticking with me through this story and the long delays in posting. I am going to take a small break from posting and work on getting some chapters written to my next stories before posting so that you don't have to suffer through these types of delays again. I am working on a Weechester story, also an AU story that will involve Mary throughout the story, and one that takes place during the first season. Hopefully you will see one of them posted before the end of this month. __**HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!**_


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